206 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [May, 'l/ 



Gerris orba Stal, which differs in some habits from ours, for 

 instance, in floating on its back, something never noted in 

 remigis, and in taking to land to escape pursuit. Remigis 

 generally skates away at top speed and is quite expert at turn- 

 ing and twisting to avoid an enemy. She also notes death- 

 feigning, especially in some individuals. A number of other 

 interesting tests were made which might with advantage be 

 repeated on Gerris remigis. 



Life history notes on Gerris conformis and Liinnogonus 

 hcsione were published by Carl J. Drake 9 . 



Gerris remigis is well illustrated in a number of places, the 

 best being Fig. 8 in Comstock's Insect Life, and Fig. 225 in 

 Folsom's Entomology. 



Gerris remigis mates "par superposition," as Gadeau de Ker- 

 ville has it 10 and as Amyot and Serville describe for najas 11 . 

 The period of gestation is not known, nor the number of eggs 

 one female is capable of laying, although this has been deter- 

 mined for other species of the genus. 



Egg. Long cylindrical, rounded at both ends and slightly concave at 

 the micropylar end. There is one micropyle, and the chorion is some- 

 what thickened at this end, except at the concavity, where it thins some- 

 what. It is clear white in color when freshly deposited and the chorion 

 is roughened superficially but not sculptured in regular designs. The 

 egg is attached to the aquatic plants by a clear, colorless waterproof 

 glue secreted by the female. 



This reproduces the observations of Dufour (op. c.} already cited, 

 and those of Uhler (op. r.). 



In an aquarium they were attached to a little piece of wood, 

 provided as a resting place, especially on the submerged part, 

 but apparently were not glued on. The eggs develope in about 

 two weeks or ten days, and the little bug emerges. It does 

 not hatch out through a cap or lid, as do many of the Heterop- 

 tera, but through a simple slit lengthwise of the chorion, which 

 splits it for a varying distance in a straight line, at times not 

 quite one-half its length, at others nearly to the other end from 

 the micropyle. 



'1915. Ohio Nat. xv : 503. 

 I0 i902. Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr., p. 68. 

 "1846. Hist. Nat. Hem. p. 415. 



