Vol. xxiii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 147 



to speak, began to cast off the remainder of its "old garments." 

 This consisted of that part of the old skin covering most of the 

 abdomen and the third pair of legs. The individual walked 

 away about twice its own length, and after a few movements, 

 which apparently were used for fastening the posterior part of 

 the old skin to the surface of the leaf, it calmly walked out of 

 the rest of its "garments." The whole time consumed in cast- 

 ing the skin was less than four minutes, beginning with the first 

 noticed movement of the inert larva. 



The new pair of legs which now appeared (there being four 

 pairs in the case of the nymph, while only three pairs were 

 present in the larva) were smaller than the rest and could not 

 be used in walking for some time. This pair appeared just back 

 of the third pair, as is the rule in the case of other Acarina. The 

 larva now walked about some, but all the time it kept flexing 

 and extending its added pair of legs. It was "trying them out" 

 so to speak, before it could use them in walking. At 12 o'clock 

 this nymph went to the base of the plant and stretched out its 

 legs, and lay motionless, doubtless exhausted by the ordeal of 

 the molting process. It remained in this position from 12 

 o'clock to twelve minutes after 12. Now its body began to 

 move and soon it was "trying out" its legs again. After about 

 three minutes the nymph began walking, but it was a shaky, 

 unnatural gait. It kept this up until 12.17, when my observa- 

 tions ceased. 



Some General Notes in Reg.\rd to the ^Molting Process. 



The molting process in this species is always preceded by a 

 quiescent period of several hours. This period is perhaps used 

 in the reformation of some of the bodily structures, but cer- 

 tainly not many. 



In assuming a position at the beginning of the quiescent 

 period previous to the molt the legs are always extended, and 

 they are nearly always attached to a fine web which the species 

 spins. 



One of the chief uses of the web which is spun by this spe- 

 cies is as an aid in the molting process. The cast skins are 

 nearly always found fastened to some threads of this web. 



