. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. EGGS OF PHASMIDAE 265. A B Fig. 152.—Eggs of Phasmidae : bodi: B, Platycrania echdis A, Lonchodes duiven- C, Haplopus grayi ; D, Phyllium siccifoliuvi. (After Kaup.) number, but in the case of Biaplieromera femorata Eiley speaks of upwards of one hundred. These eggs are not deposited in any careful way, but are discharged at random, simply dropping from the female; the noise caused by the dropping of the eggs of Dicifpheromera femorata from the trees on which the Insects are feeding to the ground is said to resemble the pattering of rain- drops. The eg
. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. EGGS OF PHASMIDAE 265. A B Fig. 152.—Eggs of Phasmidae : bodi: B, Platycrania echdis A, Lonchodes duiven- C, Haplopus grayi ; D, Phyllium siccifoliuvi. (After Kaup.) number, but in the case of Biaplieromera femorata Eiley speaks of upwards of one hundred. These eggs are not deposited in any careful way, but are discharged at random, simply dropping from the female; the noise caused by the dropping of the eggs of Dicifpheromera femorata from the trees on which the Insects are feeding to the ground is said to resemble the pattering of rain- drops. The eggs of this species often remain till the second year before they hatch. The eggs in the Phasmidae gen- erally are of a most remarkable nature, and nearly every one who mentions them speaks of their extreme resem- blance to seeds. Goldi ^ has suggested that this is for the purpose of deceiving Ichneumons ; it is, however, on record that the eggs are actually destroyed by Ichneumons. It is worthy of notice that the eggs are shed like seeds, being dropped loosely and, as we have said, remaining on the groimd or elsewhere, sometimes for nearly two years, without other protection than that they derive from their coverings. Each egg is really a capsule containing an egg, reminding us thus of the capsule of the Blattidae, which contains, however, always a number of eggs. Not only do the eggs have a history like that of seeds, and resemble them in appearance, but their capsule in minute structure, as we shall subsequently show, greatly resembles vegetable tissue. The egg-capsule in Phasmidae is provided with a lid, which is pushed off when the Insect emerges (Fig. 157). This capsule induced Murray to suppose that the egg contained within is really a pupa, and he argued therefrom that in the Orthoptera the larval stages are passed in the egg, and that the Insect after its emergence should be looked on as an active pupa that takes food. The individuals of this group of Insects possess
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