680 
RHYNCHOTA. 
extending in repose along the ventral surface of the body. The prothorax 
is large and is often produced into processes or spines at the lateral angles; 
in some cases these processes are 
large and rather grotesque (Plate 
LXXVI, figs. 6, 7) ; with these 
are also leaflike expansions of the 
especially the hind legs, and 
of the antennae, while the abdo¬ 
men is laterally expanded in a 
smaller number. These leaflike 
expansions are accompanied by 
the ‘ ‘ dead leaf ’ ’ colouration, 
the deep dull brown of the dead 
fallen leaves. It is perhaps use¬ 
less to speculate as to the value of 
these expansions, but the sight of 
these curious insects among green 
plants or on trees suggests a dead 
leaf, while on bark or among 442 — Leptocorisa varicornis 
fallen leaves the insects are very 
difficult to see. In our opinion these insects are so formed as to sug¬ 
gest a fallen leaf when feeding on green vegetation and are concealed when 
at rest on bark, or among fallen leaves. The hemelytra cover the wings, 
which lie flat on the abdomen, the dorsal surface of the latter being 
often brightly coloured ; as this colour is exposed in flight, there 
is a marked form of “ deceptive colouring ” in some forms (seepage 90). 
The details of the life-history are known in only a very few forms, 
(Plate LXXY). The eggs are of two types : (1) oval, flattened and 
unornamented (fig. 442), the insect emerging through an aperture in the 
flat upper surface ( Leptocorisa , etc .); (2) more elongated, the upper surface 
not flattened, the insect emerging from the upper surface near one end. 
(Homceocerus, Clavigralla.) The exact mechanism of the rupture of these 
eggs remains to be learnt. The eggs are laid in irregular clusters openly 
on the food-plant and are parasitised by Chalcidse. The number of moults 
observed in Leptocorisa varicornis is five, the wing lobes appearing at the 
third. The stink-glands in the nymph are situated on the dorsal surface 
of the abdomen, the tarsi are two-jointed. The nymphs appear to have 
