4 Mindeskrift for J. Steenstrup. XXVII. 



there also were some coloured drawings of egg-masses and eggs, which had been 

 executed by the late Chr. Thornam; besides there were some Pro Memoria notes. 

 written by Steenstrup, which for a great part dealt with the eggs, and with 

 such questions concerning them as Steenstrup thought had especially to be 

 answered. It therefore seems to me that when a memorial volume of Steenstrup 

 is published, no more fitting opportunity of bringing forward the drawings left 

 by him may be found, and on account of the interest attached to the figures it 

 also gives me great satisfaction to see them published. For completeness I have added 

 some figures on the plate (figs, 5 — 7j. I shall then in connection therewith give an 

 account of the whole material of Halobates-eggs, which, besides the original Steen- 

 strup material, consists of a few collections added afterwards. 



As mentioned not much has hitherto been known of the eggs of Halohates. Leon 

 Fairmaire communicates (BuU. de la Soc. Ent. de Fr. 1848, II, XXVI) that he had 

 got a number of specimens of Halobates flavwentris Esch. and sericeus Esch., among 

 which there were some females with strongly swollen abdomen, and by dissection 

 15 — 20 eggs were found, which are described as oblong, rather large and of pale 

 yellow colour. Buchnan White (Voy. of Ghall. XIX, 1883, 71, PI. III, fig. 30) de- 

 scribes and figures the egg of H. Wullerstorffi Frauenf., also an ovarial egg; it is 

 stated to be of a length of 1,2 mm and a diameter of 0,8 mm, and the shell is 

 without any special structure ; the number of eggs in a female was about 25. In 

 1879 MosELY (Notes by a Naturalist on the Chall. London 1879, 572) had com- 

 municated that Halobates carries the eggs fixed to the abdomen, but without any 

 further particulars, and Buchnan White states in his work that Moseley had com- 

 municated to him, that the mentioned statement was an error. It seems, however, 

 to be as originally stated by Moseley, for Walker communicates (Entom. Month. 

 Mag. 2, IV, 1893, 231) that among specimens of H. Wullerstorffi from the Marquesas 

 Islands he found two females, one of which had tliree, the other one egg fixed 

 to the end of abdomen, and Sharp figures a female (of H. sobrinus) procured by 

 Walker, and carrying three eggs (Cambridge Nat. Hist. VI, 1899, 511, fig. 265). 

 Walker describes the eggs as cylindric, with rounded ends, deep ochreous-yellow, 

 and of a length of fully 1 mm. Finally Heidemann (Proc. Wash. Academ. of Se. 

 III, 1901) mentions a female of H. Wullerstorffi, taken west of Mexico, with eggs 

 attached to the end of the abdomen. 



The eggs mentioned here were thus either ovarial eggs, or eggs found fastened 

 to the end of the abdomen of the female, and in the latter case it probably only 

 will apply to the females bearing the eggs for a short time, till a suitable place for 

 deposition is found; but where to seek this place, thereof the records mentioned did 

 not give any information. Uhler supposed (Standard Nat. Hist. II, Boston, 1884, 



