ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, WITH EXAMPLES 203 



Finally, when the ovipositor is buried to its utmost length, 

 it is directed backwards, as shown in the photographic text 

 figure. We can now appreciate how w^U adapted the curve 

 of the organ is for this piu-pose. A moment later the blades 

 are spread apart, allowing the elongated egg to be lodged within 

 the centre of the pith, the latter having been pressed to either 

 side for the accommodation of the egg. During this process 

 the female is very quiet, the only noticeable movement being 

 an occasional quiver of the abdomen. As soon as the first egg 

 is laid, she withdraws the ovipositor and immediately turning 

 around she again bites the same spot, spending several minutes 

 chewing the fibres and pinching the sides together with her 

 powerful jaws. This is done in order to use the same opening 

 to deposit the second egg, as about to be described. 



She next moves a little way down the stem, but this time 

 her head is directed downwards so that she may insert her 

 ovipositor in the same hole, but deposit -the second egg in. a 

 position reverse to that of the first. No sooner is this second 

 egg laid and her ovipositor removed than she turns about and 

 treats the spot for the last time to the same manoeuvring of 

 biting and pressing the sides together as before witnessed. 

 The two eggs thus far laid have their anterior poles directed 

 end to end with a slight distance between them. When the 

 third and fourth eggs are about to be deposited, she moves 

 down the stem to a new site about half an inch away, varying 

 the distance, and the process with its several stages is repeated. 

 The interior of the stem is finally filled for a considerable distance 

 with eggs, about ten minutes being consumed in the deposition 

 of each egg. 



It was during the critical moment when an egg was being 

 deposited that I seized upon the opportunity of photographing 

 the female in life as shown in the accompanying illustration. 

 She had made nine incisions up to this time and was in the act 

 of laying the eighteenth egg. Some of these incisions are 

 easily seen in the illustration. When the eggs hatch, doubtless 

 two young escape from each of the scarified points. On re- 

 moving one side of the stem containing the eggs, in a longi- 

 tudinal direction, they were found to lie with their corresponding 

 poles nearest together throughout. 



