110 THE ENTOMOLOGlbT. 



the cut wing had totally healed, and cicatrisation of both 

 nervures and membranes had taken place. The right antenna 

 had never developed beyond the cut, and only the stump was left. 

 There is here also a tendency to re-development, inasmuch as the 

 stump of the antenna was split down the shaft for a half of the 

 distance, and what would have been the centre of the shaft had 

 rounded off, and along this side there is a slight trace of the 

 pectination developing. The pectination on the other and 

 normal side of this half of the antenna being as usual, though 

 somewhat distorted ; when I saw the moth emerge, I never 

 expected to see its wings develop, and was much surprised to find 

 they did. The mark of the cut and cicatrix can be noticed on the 

 right upper wing, extending from the middle of the costal 

 margin to just the inner side of the eye spot. 



The third case was in the instance of the larva of the puss 

 moth. In the fourth age I ligatured with fine silk two legs of 

 this larva, as high against the body as I could ; I then severed 

 the legs off with fine scissors. I let the larva feed, and at the 

 next moult I found that two new legs had developed, though not 

 perfect, as the last joint and the hooks were missing; but they 

 had developed to a much further degree than had the larva of my 

 first case — cecropia, because they were at a much earlier period 

 of larval life. This larva is now undergoing preparation for 

 microscopical examination and sectioning, with a view to working 

 out the histology of the subject. 



The fourth case I now exhibit alive. About November last 

 (1890), I obtained some dragonfly larvse {Agrion, I believe), and 

 ligatured up against the body the left mesothoracic leg of one of 

 them. I then severed it off. This larva I then placed in a tank 

 where there was a good supply of food. Not having previously 

 bred these insects, I began to doubt (as two months elapsed, and 

 no new leg) of its ever re-developing the leg. I thought it had 

 moulted and I had not seen it. But while in Mr. James Hart's 

 possession (who was taking microscopic life out of the tank the 

 larva was in), it moulted and produced the new limb. As far as 

 I can discern there are the usual number of joints, but the hook 

 at the last joint is missing. This leg (as usual in all these cases 

 of re- development) is much inferior in size than its fellow 

 member. I shall endeavour to keep this larva alive, as perhaps, 

 at the next moult, the leg will grow to a larger size, till, with each 

 succeeding moult it becomes larger, and will equal the normal 

 size. I find that the tendency to re-development is much greater 

 at the early ages of insects, and also that the lower groups of the 

 Insecta can re-develop to a greater degree, and at a later stage, 

 of their existence than higher members of the Insecta. I am ex- 

 perimenting now with pupas, and may have some other cases to 

 record later on. 



177, Moss Lane East, Moss Side, Manchester. 



