578 MATERNAL SOLICITUDE IN INSECTS. 



Burma, while .sitting- round the vump tire one night, they disturbed a 

 large earwig who was guarding a little l)atch of eggn. Her first care 

 was not for herself, but for her eggs. She showed great concern for 

 their safety." 



In the Hymenoptera I do not refer to the well-authenticated instances 

 of maternal providence in the Sphegidte and other families, this notice 

 being confined to actual personal and continuous care. A sunmiary of 

 the former will be found in Sharp [24], page 111. Of the latter there 

 is one instance, viz, Perga lewh'il Westwood, a Tasmanian sawfly. The 

 habits of this tenthredinid were related [16 and IT] by R. H. Lewis, 

 who informs us that the eggs, in numl)er aliout 80, are placed trans- 

 versely in a longitudinal incision between the two surfaces of a leaf of 

 a species of eucalyptus. On this leaf the mother sits till the eggs are 

 hatched. She follows the larva\ "sitting with outstretched legs over 

 her brood, preserving them from the heat of the sun, and protecting 

 them from the attacks of parasites and other enemies." It should be 

 noted, however, that broods accidentally or purposely deprived of the 

 mother appeared to thrive just as well. These observations have been 

 briefly confirmed by Froggatt [7]. 



In the Coleoptera, the only instances known to me occur in the 

 Scol3"tida^, among the Ambrosia ])eetles, and a consideration of these 

 scarcely comes within the scope of this notice, since they are not non- 

 social insects. The reader may be referred to Kirby and Spence [14] 

 and Hubbard [25]. 



Mr. R, South and Mr. L. B. Prout are not aware of any instance 

 among the Lepidoptera, and similar advice has been given me by Mr. 

 Ci. nrVerrall and Mr. J. E. Collin of the Dipt(*ra and by Mr. W. 

 J. Lucas of the Neuroptera. Research on the literature of the Thy- 

 sanoptera, Anoplura, Thysanura etc., has failed to trace any such 

 records. 



I must here also express my thanks to Messrs. W. F. H. Blandford, 

 C. O. Waterhouse, C. J. Gahan, W. F. Kirby, and Drs. G. Breddin 

 and D. Sharp for information and hints. 



RHYNCHOTA. 



The earliest Rhynchotal notice is that of Modeer [18]. In speaking 

 of " Cmxex ovatux jmUide griseas,'' he distinctly afiirms that the eggs 

 are laid in .June on the common birch, in number from 40 to 50, so 

 that the mother can cover them when she sits over them. She does 

 not abandon them except for brief refreshment, and can not be 

 removed except by superior force. The eggs are hatched at the end 

 of June, and the maternal care is still exercised, for she protects 

 them against the male, whose attacks and the defense of the mother 

 are circumstantially related. The great De Geer [8] confirms and 

 expands the observations under the head of Chiiex hetulx (he gives 



