ovation

“[The ichneumon wasp] drops an egg. She next seeks out a small green caterpillar inhabiting the leaves of the cabbage-plant, which she punctures with her sting, yet so slightly and delicately as not to kill it; she then rolls it up into a circle, and places it in the sandy nest, immediately over the egg. She continues the same labour till she has counted twelve, and deposited twelve caterpillars, one over another; and thus repeats the process of ovation and supply, till she has exhausted herself of her entire stock of eggs.”

“Having considered their animal nature, and their primary formation, as involving the question of spontaneous generation, he described generally the methods of reproduction adopted in this class of animals, and adduced the explanations and opinions offered by the best authorities on the subject, but particularly those of Bremner, [René] Lænnec, and Owen, by which acephalocystic reproduction is referred to imperfect ovation or generation.”