464 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Dec., '08 



Notes on the Egg and Larva of Goniops 

 chrysocoma (O. S.). 



By W. R. WALTON, Harrisburg, Penna. 



(Plate XXII) 



The first fly of this species seen by me was presented by Mr. 

 Warren S. Fisher, of Highspire, Pa., who took a female in 

 the act of ovipositing on a leaf of what proved to be Angelica 

 sp? on July 4, 1907, near the above mentioned place. The plant 

 overhung a small, more or less permanent ditch of water and 

 we naturally inferred that the larva might be aquatic in habit, 

 in common with others of the family. 



However, during the present year on the I4th of June, while 

 collecting on a dry hillside, in a brush patch, some five miles 

 to the eastward of the former locality, I was attracted to a 

 small oak sapling by a peculiar buzzing sound. After several 

 minutes of stalking and intent observation, a female of Goniops 

 chrysocoma was discovered in the act of ovipositing on the 

 under side of one of the leaves. She made no effort to escape, 

 indeed it required considerable force to remove the insect from 

 her position near the eggs. The immediate locality was a hill- 

 side pasture lot, half covered with scrub oak and berry bushes, 

 dotted here and there with clumps of false indigo. The near- 

 est water was a small overgrown ditch some 60 feet distant. 



On the 1 8th of the same month I visited the spot near High- 

 spire mentioned above, in hope of securing additional data and 

 was rewarded by finding another fly in a similar position on a 

 leaf of the wild cherry, some thirty feet distant from the 

 water. 



The two batches of eggs were placed in breeding jars and 

 on the evening of July 25th the first larvae made their appear- 

 ance. The second lot appeared two days later. The eggs 

 are yellowish-white when deposited and change but little if any 

 in color before hatching. The larvae are quite lively when 

 hatched and it was a curious sight to see them come tumbling 

 out of the eggs by dozens when the cluster was brought under 

 the bright light. 



