46 Timehri. 



Homebuilding is less pronounced among the Coleoplem or Beetles 

 than in the Orders previously mentioned but the larvae of O&rcidionidae 

 or Weevils make tough fibrous cocoons for the protection of their 

 pupae. Perhaps our commonest examples are the Palm Weevil, 

 Rhyncophorus palmarum L., and the Sugar cane weevil Metamasvus 

 hemipterus L. 



In the Family Scarabaeidae although we do not find a home actually 

 built we have the parents making provision for their young in a peculiar 

 way. In the group of this Family popularly known as the Tumble-bugs 

 both male and female form round balls of dung, often several times as 

 large as their combined sizes, which are sometimes rolled long distances. 

 The balls are finally buried in the ground and the female deposits an egg 

 on each so that when the larvae hatch these balls serve as their food. 



The Order Diptera or Flies is but slightly developed in this direction 

 and the habit of home building is only to be found in the Family 

 Cecidomyiidae or Gall gnats. The adults are small and delicate flies and 

 on this account are probably not often noticed. The larvae, however, are 

 often very important and the now celebrated Hessian FI3 7 . Mayetiola 

 destructor Say, the most serious pest of wheat in North America, belongs 

 to this group. 



Our mostfamilar local'represeutative is the Cassava Gall (Cecidomyia? 

 manihot Felt). At times hundreds of these galls can be seen on the leaves 

 of a single plant. This Family has received but little attention in this 

 colony. 



Cockroaches, Locusts, Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Godhorses (Order 

 Orthoptera) have home-building instinct least developed. Some Crickets 

 (Fam. Oryllidae) do make burrows in the ground in which they hide but in 

 this Order the majority of the members only provide protection for the 

 eggs- 

 Cockroaches (Fam. Blattidae,) apparently prefer the homes of man and 

 the familiar egg cases of our cockroaches (Periplaneta amerieana L. et 

 many spp) offer good examples of egg protection. The egg cases are 

 however sometimes themselves protected by a covering of fragments of 

 their surroundings such as bits of paper. 



The God-horses (Fam. Mantidae), or Praying Mantids as they are 

 called in other countries, also form egg-cases which they attach t 

 and branches. 



In the Locusts and Grasshoppers we have modifications in their struc- 

 ture to help them in hiding their eggs. Locusts (Fam. Acrididae) have 

 egg guides which they use to bore into the ground where tbey deposit 

 their eggs while the Grasshoppers (Fam. LocaixI id.ac) have long sword- 

 like ovipositors which must be of the greatest value to them as their eggs 

 are usually laid In the sinus and root-leaves of grasses or the | 

 twigs. 



