1931 ] 
The Biology of the Mecoptera 
45 
to disturb the pair in copulation, using its long beak as a 
weapon, and succeeded in separating them. The successful 
rival then effected a pairing on the spot.” 
The most interesting feature of the mating habits of 
Panorpa concern the salivary glands of the male. Brant 
(1839) and Dufour (1841) observed in their anatomical 
studies of certain neuropterous insects that the salivary 
glands of the male Panorpas were much larger than 
those of the females. Mercier (1915) studied this peculi- 
arity more carefully in Panorpa germanica, alpina, and 
cognata, with surprising results. He found that the sali- 
vary apparatus in the male consisted of two glands, each 
of which was composed of three long, filiform branches, and 
which opened into a common reservoir. The two reservoirs 
in turn opened into a common excretory duct. This com- 
plex structure was not developed until the male was four 
or five days old, at which time sexual maturity was reached. 
During the first few days after emergence of the male from 
the pupa the glandular tubes were only two or three milli- 
meters long, but in eight days they had reached the length 
of 12 millimeters. Mercier observed that when a male, 
with its wings vibrating, approached a female, it suddenly 
ejected from its mouth a small drop of liquid, which coagu- 
lated almost the instant it was expelled, forming a small 
opaline pellet about the size of a pinhead. The male then 
moved several centimeters away from the pellet and again 
vibrated its wings. The female advanced and fed on this 
ball of saliva, whereupon the male rapidly approached, 
grasped her abdomen with his forceps, and entered into 
copulation. During the whole process the female continued 
to feed on' the excretion, which (according to Mercier) it 
dissolved with a brown liquid. As soon as the first pellet 
of saliva was consumed, the male ejected another one, 
which was likewise devoured or dissolved in a similar man- 
ner. This process continued as long as the two were paired. 
Mercier believes that this excretion helps the male to 
secure a mate. Shiperovitsh (1925) has repeated Mercier’s 
observations on P. communis , although there seem to be 
some points of difference, for the males of that species 
