54 
Indiana University Studies 
reprint the Edwards’ article, and if perchance my paper ap- 
pears first, credit should be given Mr. Leach, who recovered 
the newspaper account for me. 
Fiea Seeds, Cynips saltatorius 
From the Pacific Rural Press, February 14, 1874. 
We present this week the engraving of an insect and shell from 
which it emerged, for the purpose of showing our readers an object 
which has attracted considerable attention for the past year or two 
in the state. They were first brought to notice by the curious jumping 
qualities possessed by what was supposed by some persons to be mus- 
tard seed, and many theories were advanced as to how the thing was 
done, some of which were quite amusing. 
The “seed” from which the insect was obtained was gathered with 
a number of others, under an oak tree on the ranch of Mrs. H. Wilder, 
about 8 miles from Marysville, by Mr. F. W. H. Aaron of that city and 
by him sent to Mr. Hanks, President of the San Francisco Microscopic 
Society. The matter was referred to Mr. Kinne for examination, who 
has follov/ed their development through to the perfect insect, and from 
his report we collect the following: 
The gall or cocoon is found lightly attached to the leaf of the oak 
and in time falls to the ground, where the noise occasioned by the 
thousands that are leaping about, without any apparent cause or origin 
of motion, sounds much like the falling of fine rain on the leaves. An 
examination shows that the extraordinary activity displayed is caused 
by the spasmodic contraction and concussion of the abdominal parts of 
the occupant against the side of the shell (enclosing it), which move- 
ment does not cease even after the covering is nearly split in halves, if 
the tender structure of the chrysalis be not injured. That it is the 
chrysalis and not the larva has been shown by the microscope, and its 
change to the perfect insect has been noted at weekly stages. 
The average length of the insect is five hundredths of an inch, and 
in each has been found from sixty to eighty pear-shaped ova. The en- 
graving gives its general appearance with wings raised somewhat un- 
naturally, for the purpose of showing their size and shape. It was 
drawn by Mr. Kinne and enlarged twenty diameters. Its ovipositor is 
a tiny though perfect piece of nature’s mechanism and lies encased in a 
sheath at the lower part of the abdomen. At a recent meeting of the 
Microscopical Society, Mr. Henry Edwards furnished a report giving 
the following technical description of the curiosity. 
Genus Cynips — L Cynips Saltatorius, (nov. sp.) 
Black, shining. Head broad between the eyes, which are very prom- 
inent. Antennse 14 jointed, the 1st and 2d joints being much swollen, 
and the 3rd joint longer than the other two, the remaining joints are 
long, simple and nearly equal. Thorax densely but finely punctured, 
very globose in front, projecting so far as to almost hide the head. Ab- 
domen globose, shining. Ovipositor cases, short, spatulate, received 
