﻿394 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  be 
  found 
  likewise 
  to 
  differ. 
  It 
  has 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  dragon 
  flies 
  and 
  

   caddis 
  flies 
  and 
  of 
  certain 
  Diptera, 
  while 
  certain 
  other 
  groups, 
  notably 
  

   the 
  stone 
  flies, 
  which 
  require 
  more 
  rapid 
  and 
  rocky 
  streams, 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  

   represented. 
  

  

  Place 
  of 
  insects 
  in 
  natural 
  societies. 
  A 
  very 
  little 
  was 
  done 
  by 
  

   ws 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  this 
  subject, 
  but 
  that 
  little 
  constitutes 
  part 
  2 
  of 
  the 
  

   present 
  report. 
  

  

  Reproductive 
  capacity 
  of 
  insects. 
  But 
  one 
  thing 
  was 
  attempted 
  

   under 
  this 
  head, 
  and 
  that 
  was 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   laid 
  by 
  individuals 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  species, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  examination 
  

   of 
  the 
  ovaries 
  of 
  newly 
  transformed 
  females. 
  This 
  undertaking 
  at 
  once 
  

   xevealed 
  some 
  interesting 
  biologic 
  facts, 
  which 
  might, 
  perhaps, 
  have 
  been 
  

   inferred 
  in 
  advance, 
  and 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  known, 
  though 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  read 
  

   of 
  them. 
  These 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  as 
  follows. 
  

  

  1 
  In 
  certain 
  insects 
  (as 
  May 
  flies, 
  caddis 
  flies, 
  gnats, 
  etc.) 
  which 
  

   ■lack 
  functional 
  mouth 
  parts, 
  and 
  whose 
  adult 
  life 
  is 
  very 
  brief, 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  well 
  developed 
  at 
  transformation, 
  and 
  may 
  readily 
  be 
  counted, 
  the 
  

   difference 
  in 
  size 
  between 
  the 
  developed 
  eggs 
  and 
  the 
  egg 
  rudiments 
  

   which 
  will 
  not 
  develop 
  being 
  very 
  marked. 
  

  

  2 
  In 
  other 
  insects 
  (such 
  as 
  the 
  larger 
  dragon 
  flies) 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  very 
  

   immature 
  at 
  transformation, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  determine 
  how 
  many 
  

   ■of 
  the 
  egg 
  rudiments 
  present 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  will 
  develop 
  into 
  eggs. 
  In 
  

   other 
  words, 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  maturing 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  is 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  dura- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  life, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  food 
  taken 
  during 
  adult 
  life. 
  

  

  Having 
  read 
  that 
  the 
  larger 
  dragon 
  flies 
  of 
  the 
  gomphine 
  group 
  live 
  as 
  

   imagos 
  but 
  a 
  week, 
  I 
  was 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  a 
  newly 
  

   transformed 
  female 
  of 
  Hagenius 
  brevistylus 
  were 
  so 
  immature 
  

   as 
  to 
  be 
  scarcely 
  recognizable 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  since 
  observed 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  

   in 
  this 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  large 
  gomphine 
  species 
  an 
  interval 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  

   month 
  between 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  transformation 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  oviposition. 
  I 
  

   am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  dragon 
  flies 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  kept 
  success- 
  

   fully 
  only 
  a 
  week 
  in 
  confinement 
  have 
  died 
  of 
  starvation, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  

   any 
  case 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  imaginal 
  life 
  is 
  not 
  fairly 
  determined 
  so. 
  

  

  The 
  few 
  counts 
  successfully 
  made 
  by 
  us 
  from 
  insect 
  ovaries 
  will 
  be 
  

   found 
  under 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  made. 
  

  

  Study 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  insects. 
  What 
  animals 
  do 
  has 
  always 
  

   been 
  an 
  interesting 
  subject 
  of 
  inquiry, 
  and 
  probably 
  will 
  always 
  be 
  

   so. 
  A 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  animals 
  has 
  its 
  own 
  peculiar 
  cul- 
  

   ture 
  value, 
  now 
  generally 
  recognized. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  higher 
  scientific 
  value, 
  

  

  