1909. ] LIFE-HISTORY OF THE LEAF=INSECTe DE 
fourth abdominal segments of the male occur also in the female, 
but instead of being transparent they are often opaque and of 
a brownish-red. colour. The first three abdominal segments are 
generally ornamented at their edges with brown markings, and 
there is frequently a brown patch at each side of the seventh 
abdominal segment. Further, there is often an interrupted 
brown mediodorsal line extending from the sixth abdominal 
segment to the anal extremity. 
The femora of the prothoracic legs are very large and foliaceous,. 
having flat expansions which are green with many brown and 
yellow markings. The mesothoracic legs are also of moderate 
size, and on the posterior lobe of each femur there is a large 
and conspicuous brown spot. All the iegs, however, have these 
laminated expansions to a greater or less degree and the general 
appearance of a female is that of a leaf. 
Becquerel and Brongniart (1894) have carried out spectroscopic 
investigations on the colouring-matter of the Phylliums with 
a view to ascertaining whether it presented the same optical 
characters as the chlorophyll of leaves. They found that the 
spectrum of the Phylliums scarcely differs from the spectrum 
observed through living leaves, but slight distinctions were seen 
when compared with solutions of chlorophyll. 
The majority of the males assumed the imago state long before 
the females. The first male appeared on March 8th, 1908, and 
others followed at irregular intervals until May and Thora, when 
the maximum number was reached. From this time there was 
a gradual diminution in the number of males. The first female 
emerged on May 22nd, 1908. They continued to appear until 
the end of August. Morton (1903) speaks of his first male as 
appearing aborts six weeks before the ae female, and says that 
nearly all the males were dead when this individual appeared. 
St. Quintin (1907) also notes that his first male emerged one month 
before the first female. I do not know whether the majority 
of the males arrive at maturity before the females in the 
Seychelles, but from the foregoing evidence such a state of affairs 
seems quite possible. 
The males are very active and are quite capable of flying a 
few yards. Their activity is increased after dark, when they 
usually move briskly over the leaves and occasionally fly from 
one bough to another. Being so agile they are rather difficult 
to inuadlle. and if touched generally. “drop or take a short flight 
to some neighbourhing object. The females, on the other hand, 
are very sluggish insects and seldom move far. They are quite 
unable to fy," and if from any accidental cause they lose thei 
foothold, can only ease the fall by means of their tegmina 
which spread out like a parachute. 
The life of the male is of about four or five weeks duration 
and food is taken as in the larval stages, The females are much 
longer lived and survive eight or nine weeks at least; they eat 
much more than the males and consume in this period an 
