68 WALTER N. HESS. 



The period of emergence is more prolonged than is charac- 

 teristic of most species, varying from June 15 to August 10. 



During the day these insects can usually be found clinging to 

 grass and weeds by the side of streams. The males are active 

 fliers but the females were not taken in flight, yet it is possible 

 that they fly, for they are sometimes found at a considerable 

 distance from their natural habitat. 



The adults were never observed feeding. If they feed at all 

 it is probably very sparingly, for specimens were kept in the 

 laboratory without food from the time of emergence through 

 the period of oviposition. 



Copulation was observed to take place from two to ten days 

 after emergence, with frequent repetitions. In the field the 

 copulating pairs were always found about a foot from the ground 

 on a blade of grass or some similar object. The female, early 

 in the season, is usually distended with eggs in varying stages of 

 maturity. 



Egg laying starts about four to five days after emergence, 

 and continues for a period of two to three weeks. The females of 

 this species also lay their eggs on the ground at the base of vege- 

 tation in damp ground. In every case observed, the eggs were 

 deposited singly. 



The egg is small, spherical, whitish in color, measuring about 

 .65 mm. in diameter. It is without surface markings and when 

 first deposited it is covered with an adhesive substance. These 

 eggs, while they are in no sense luminous, give off a slight lumines- 

 cence when first laid.. Under normal conditions they hatch in 

 from nineteen to twenty-one days into little whitish, elongated 

 larvae. 



The larvae, when first hatched, resemble very closely in appear- 

 ance those of Photinus scintillans, in that they are whitish with 

 dark eyes and brownish mandibles. At this stage they measure 

 about 2.3 mm. in length. On becoming pigmented, however, they 

 appeared dark gray in color. 



The mature larva is elongate, narrow, varying from 12 to 14 

 mm. in length. The blackish head is small, being about half 

 as wide as the prothorax. The body is widest in the region of 

 the thorax and tapers posteriorly. The tergites are dull blackish 



