212 PCECILOSOMA PULVEBATUM. 



placed in the sunshine the insect was very sluggish,, 

 but at once on feeling the sunshine became very lively, 

 and flew up and down the enclosure. After a time it 

 discovered the food plant, examined it all over, and 

 ultimately fixed upon a young, half -grown leaf, in 

 which to lay the eggs. At first it rested motionless in 

 the middle of the leaf, then came close to the border, 

 fixed the outer legs along the edge, then raised the body 

 so that it was a little more than the height of the 

 tibise above the surface of the leaf. In this position it 

 remained for about a couple of seconds, then the abdo- 

 men was bent down, the saw inserted into the leaf and 

 apparently moved up and down, but without being 

 entirely withdrawn out of the leaf. The saw was not 

 inserted straight down, but was a little bent forward, 

 the two sheaths remaining at right angles and not fol- 

 lowing the position of the saw. After being in the 

 leaf for a few seconds the saw was withdrawn, the 

 insect remained motionless for a second or two, and 

 then the abdomen was again bent down, the saw 

 inserted (but not I think deeply), and the egg de- 

 posited. During the egg-laying the antennae were a 

 little raised above the height of the head with a slight 

 curve, and remained almost rigid. The whole opera- 

 tion lasted about eighty or ninety seconds. Several 

 minutes elapsed before the next ovipositioii took place. 

 All the eggs were deposited on thick half -grown leaves, 

 sometimes singly, sometimes as many as three on the 

 same leaf. They were placed close to, but not touch- 

 ing any of the nerves, and on the underside of the 

 leaf. 



Immediately after being laid they were quite invi- 

 sible, but by twenty-four hours they had swollen up 

 very much, and were easily noticed as greenish oblong 

 elevations. As the larva came to maturity a small 

 open space separated the egg from the leaf, forming a 

 trench, as it were, round it. With two other experi- 

 ments I was more successful and managed to rear 

 females from eggs laid by virgin females. 



