478 Phenomena of Autotomy in Phasmidje. 



in spite of this my attempts remained fruitless, albeit I 

 employed the most energetic methods — rapid cuts, inflicted 

 in succession upon the same femur; then tlie effect of burning, 

 until the limb was reduced to a simple stump. Sometimes I 

 lifted the insect by this stump and shook it violently. The 

 result of this was a tearing of the membrane situated between 

 the thorax and the coxa, or, more often, of that which unites 

 the coxa to the trochanter. This tear presented very irregular 

 contours, with a bunch of muscular fibres detached by the 

 tension. 



I must further make mention of the longer or shorter 

 interval that elapses between the production of the stimulus 

 and the detachment of the limb. This interval, which is 

 sometimes less than one second, may also extend to as much 

 as ten minutes. 



To recapitulate : autotomy is clearly exhibited in the case 

 of Monandroptera inuncans^ and especially in Rhaphiderus 

 scahrosus, but in an irregular, or even, one might say, in a 

 capricious fashion. The limbs belonging to the anterior pair 

 are usually those which most readily become detached. In 

 these insects, however, autotomy is never produced so easily 

 as in the saltatory Orthoptera, such as the grasshoppers, 

 Avhose great posterior legs always detach themselves so quickly 

 when the femur is pinched, even very slightly, or when it is 

 suddenly cut through. Lastly, while in the case of the grass- 

 hopper it is the contraction of a single muscle or of a small 

 numberof muscles that causes the rupture, in the Piiasmidfe the 

 latter takes place only after very vigorous muscular contrac- 

 tions affecting the entire body. These contractions are more 

 violent in the females than in the males. In the enormous 

 heavy females of Monandroptera inuncans especially they are 

 very remarkable, and in such cases there sometimes takes 

 place, after the rupture, a loss of blood more considerable than 

 usual, represented by a large greenish drop. Tliis haemorrhage, 

 although arrested pretty quickly by coagulation, is never- 

 theless sufficient, if it again ensues owing to the loss of three 

 or four other limbs, to cause flaccidity of the body and the 

 death of the insect after an interval of from twelve to twenty 

 hours. 



When autotomy is produced by the bite of the ants it may 

 be followed by h£emorrhage if the insect be abandoned to its 

 aggressors for a few minutes, since, by their repeated bites 

 inflicted upon the raw wound, they prevent the coagulation 

 of the blood. 



