Gf. H. F. Nuttall 
135 
Box A contained 
No. of eggs on flannel 320 (89 %) 
„ „ hair 38 
„ „ gauze 1 
Box B contained 
340 (99 %) 
0 
4 
359 
344 
The results with capitis were different. Bacot (n. 1917, pp. 231-232) 
states that the latter will sometimes lay eggs on cloth in the presence 
of hair; a fact I had also established. (1) In one experiment, he placed 
some females in a box with hairs only; they laid 36 eggs in 3 days, 
all on hair: 28 on single hairs, 6 on two hairs, and 2 on three hairs. 
(2) In a second experiment some females were placed in a box with 
hair and flannel; they laid 92 eggs on hair and 8 on flannel. Bacot 
subsequently (iv. 1917, p. 63) stated that given a choice of hair and 
flannel, capitis will lay 80 % of her eggs on hair. He reports two 
experiments (III, IV) in which two lots of 12 were put in boxes 
containing hair and flannel. Box (A') contained females bred from eggs 
laid on hair, and box (B') such as had been raised on flannel. The 
result after 5 days was as follows: 
Box B' contained 
332 (98 %) 
4 (2 “near flannel”) 
4 
Box A' contained 
No. of eggs on hair 259 (95 %) 
„ „ flannel 14 
„ „ gauze 1 
274 
340 
Bacot (ii. 1917, pp. 231-2) has moreover stated that corporis females 
“appear to be less skilful in cementing, or careful in getting the long 
axis of the egg into alignment with the hair. When forced to lay on 
hair they not infrequently attach the egg at an angle to the axis of the 
hair.” He cites an observation wherein of 25 eggs laid on hair in a box, 
21 were “cemented to two or more hairs, the females having apparently 
searched for positions where the hairs crossed or ran parallel to each 
other so as to avoid attachment to single hairs.” It will be seen that 
my results do not agree with those of Bacot in this respect 1 . 
These experiments appeared to me to call for repetition under 
somewhat modified conditions to be more precisely defined especially 
with regard to the arrangement of the test hair and cloth and the 
equalizing of the proportions of each. 
1 For observations on oviposition in hybrids of corporis and capitis, see Bacot, ix. 1917, 
pp. 253 et seq. 
