VIII, D, 2 



Baker: Caprification in Ficus nota 



69 



direct parasites or as unwelcome guests remains to be deter- 

 mined. It is, of course, a well-known fact that many parasitic 

 hymenopterous insects possess to a most remarkable degree the 

 faculty of locating their hosts, even when these are hidden deeply 

 within the tissues of plants, and boring through with great 

 accuracy for the deposition of their eggs. Dr. E. B. Copeland 

 suggests that this, together with the fact that none of these 



Fig. 1. Flower parts of Ficus nota. A, young gall flower at the time of reception of egg, 

 with funnel-shaped style with undivided or unruptured perianth (1.5 by 0.5 mm.) ; 

 B, nearly mature gall flower, long pedicelled form, with ruptui-ed perianth (5 by 

 1.25 mm.) ; C, nearly mature fertile female flower, with normal stigma, long 

 pedicelled form (5 by 1 mm.) ; D and E, mature monandrous male flower with 

 unruptured perianth (3 by 1 mm.) ; F, the freed stamen dehiscing by 2 slits; 

 cross section of unopened male flower ; H, pollen grains, averaging about 7 by 

 12 microns. 



insects seem to seek or deposit eggs in seed-bearing figs, appears 

 to be prima facie evidence of parasitism or semiparasitism. 



THE FIG INSECTS OCCURRING IN FICUS NOTA AT LOS BANOS 



The classification of the fig insects is in a most undeveloped 

 state, not only because very few of the existing species are de- 

 scribed — or, if described, known in both sexes — but also because 

 few of the characters given are of generic or subfamily value. 

 It seems inevitable that new discoveries will completely modify 

 the generic arrangement, and probably cause a recasting of the 

 subfamilies. The statement made by Ashmead * that all Agao- 



^Mem. Carnegie Mus. (1904), 1, 231. 



