THE AMERICAN NA TURALIST. [Vol. XXXVIIl. 



extends to the second legs and neighboring parts. Under this 

 veil a few eggs may be seen not far from the oviduct but 

 the great mass of eggs, several hundred, is concealed by the 

 bent abdomen which encloses them somewhat as a nearly 

 closed hand might a quantity of shot. The actual openings 

 of the oviduct are concealed since the abdomen is bent to its 

 utmost and the tail-fan is carried very far forw^ard over the 

 ventral surface of the thorax. Some slight tremors of globules 

 in the glair near the openings of the oviduct suggested rhythmic 

 contraction of the oviduct, about once a second, even after the 



eggs had been laid. Gradually the abdomen relaxed somewhat 

 and allowed more of the ventral surface to be seen ; while most 

 of the eggs la)- in a mass enveloped by the abdomen, some 

 of them still extended forward on to the thorax as a flat layer. 



