134 SOME NOTES ON THE LIFE HISTORY 



A female isolated on 23rd May, laid egg bunches, on 26th 

 and 30th May, 2nd, 4th, 8th, and 11th June, all of which 

 hatched out. 



Egg Laying. 



The eggs are laid in bunches of variable sizes, usually 

 containing from 30 to 50 eggs, but as the female grows old 

 the bunches often decrease in size, some only containing about 

 10 eggs. 



The method of procedure is as follows : — Starting with 

 her abdomen depressed on to the surface on which she is stand- 

 ing, the insect raises a concave vertical shield of chitin exuding 

 it from her cloaca as she raises her abdomen. This is repeated 

 3 or 4 times, each shield adhering to the last and overlapping 

 it slightly to one side or the other. The abdomen is then 

 raised and an egg exuded from the ovipositor which directs the 

 egg into its proper vertical position as the abdomen is again 

 lowered. 



After each egg is laid another sheet of chitin is erected as 

 a covering. 



The eggs are laid in four rows, not in succession from one 

 side to the other, but always in the same order throughout 

 the laying. 



The rate of laying is from 1 to 2 minutes for each egg, 

 made up as follows : — 



Depositing egg 

 Covering with chitin 

 Interval before next egg 



Having deposited the last egg, two or three layers of chitin 

 complete the egg bunch, which is normally a compact mass 

 measuring about 5 mm. by 4 mm. in transverse section, and 

 from 4 to 7 mm. long. 



The time occupied in laying a normal egg bunch varies 

 from 40 minutes to If hours. 



Egg bunches take from 10 to 13 days to hatch out. 



The number of egg bunches laid by one female varies 

 considerably. Many of the pairs of insects kept, during captiv- 



Jour. Straits Branch 



10 



to 



20 



seconds 



40 



to 



80 



seconds 



10 



to 



20 



seconds 



