Ho. 1.] H. H. Mann— On Helopeltis theiovora. 9 



(b) Afternoon Catch — equal number males and females. Four 

 females, selected at random, contained respectively (i) 

 o, (2) 18, (3) o, (4) 23 eggs. Average 10-12 eggs per 

 insect; 50 per cent, contain none at all. 



4. Chandighat, Cachar, November 12th, 1902:— 



(a) Morning Catch — 19 adult insects ; 5 females. Females 

 contained respectively (1) 14, (2) 9, (3) 12, (4) 13, (5) 8 

 eggs. Average n'2 eggs per insect; none were 

 without eggs. 



5. Doloo, Cachar, November 14th, 1902: — 



{a) Catch in middle of day, under shade — 154. adult insects ; 

 72 females. Eight females, selected at random, con- 

 tained respectively (1) o, (2) 6, (3) 14, (4) o, (5) o, (6) o, 

 (7) °> (8) 7 e gg s - Average 3*4 eggs per insect ; 62*5 

 per cent, contained none at all. 

 Such are the figures obtained. On the face they seem rather self- 

 contradictory, especially as the largest number of all vsas found in an 

 insect caught in the afternoon, but, nevertheless, on the whole these 

 figures seem most clearly to indicate that the insects contain more 

 eggs in the morning than in the afternoon ; that is to say, that then 

 they have not exhausted their supply, as they have done later in the 

 day. Now when to this is added the fact that in the ovary of the 

 female insect one frequently comes across a few of what are ap- 

 parently eggs in course of formation, but very difficult to dissect out, 

 I think one will have to conclude that the evidence is strongly in 

 favour of the inference that egg= are to a certain extent continuously 

 formed in the body of the mature female, and that instead of laying 

 a definite number of eggs and then dying, as is usual in, say, the 

 Lepidoptera, the insect, in a certain measure, continuously produces 

 eggs after arriving at maturity. The few insects containing a large 

 number of eggs found late in the afternoon, are probably those which 

 have recently arrived at maturity and have hardly, if at all, commenced 

 egg-laying. 



Hibernation of the insect. — It has been noticed ever since the first 

 appearance of the tea mosquito as a pest of Cocoa, Cinchona and 

 Tea that at certain times of the year it disappeared, or appeared to 

 do so. In the Indian districts, for instance, this time runs from the 

 middle of December till March or April; in Ceylon there are two 

 periods when the Helopeltis antonii of their districts can hardly be 

 found. The question at once arises as to whether this is a real h\- 

 bernation or no ; does the insect become quite inactive, or is it merely 

 reduced in numbers; does it spend this time in one condition or does 

 it continue to breed ? 



