QQ The Philippine Journal of Science i»i8 



begin to emerge and seek their respective females. These males 

 show a perfectly astounding case of parallel development to 

 suit the very circumscribed conditions with which they are 

 surrounded. Representing 2 families of insects, 3 subfamilies, 

 and various genera, they are yet all very similar in appearance — 

 minute, yellowish, wingless, clumsy, often worm-like creatures, 

 either blind or nearly so, they live their exceedingly short mature 

 lives (of apparently only a few hours' duration) in darkness, 

 never purposely leaving the interior of the fig in which they are 

 born. Entirely unlike the female in almost every detail, and 

 struggling together in large numbers, they present a most con- 

 fusing sight even to the eye of the trained scientific observer. 

 It is a matter of extreme difficulty correctly to associate the 

 sexes, the observation of actual copulation being necessary some- 

 times to make the conclusion a certain one. When it is known 

 that 6 species of guests and parasites may occur together in- 

 great number within a single fig, as I have commonly found 

 in F. nota, the complexity of the problem as a whole, both taxo- 

 nomically and biologically speaking, may be appreciated. 



As the emergence proceeds, the fig becomes filled with an 

 impatient mass of females, intent only on finding a way out. 

 During this period the stamens rapidly reach full maturity, and, \ 



quite apart from any holes in the anthers due to the males, they 

 dehisce naturally and regularly through two longitudinal slits 

 (fig. 1, F). The trampling swarm of insects promptly dusts 

 pollen thoroughly over their bodies. It is a beautiful point in 

 the whole relationship that the fig remains closed until this is 

 accomplished. The maturing of the stamens is accompanied, or 

 at least very shortly followed, by the withering of the imbricated 

 scales in the ostiole, beginning on the inside. I have not observed 

 males gnawing these scales, and can see no reason why they 

 should do as is described by Cunningham for F. roxhurghii. 

 That the females should immediately begin to crowd themselves 

 through any opening offered is to be expected, and it is also 

 entirely probable that they hasten the formation of this opening 

 by gnawing, but it seems as if the shrinkage of the scales must be 

 an entirely natural act in the final maturing of the fig. I have 

 found malformed figs in which this opening was delayed, and 

 the entire mass of contained insects dead. In F. palmeri from 

 Lower California, as described by Eisen, no such ripening of 

 the scales takes place, and the blastophaga does not attempt 

 to gnaw through them, but has acquired the habit of opening a 

 new passage through the softer wall of the fig near the ostiole. 



