The Water Stridera 



bursting through a slit which opens a little below the blunt end 

 of the egg. The duration of the egg stage is about two weeks. 



An extraordinary water-strider, known as Rheumatobates 

 rileyi, was found near Washington, D. C, several years ago by 

 Mr. Otto Heidemann, and has since been proved to be rather 

 widely distributed. It is so extraordinary an insect in its general 

 appearance that it has been adopted for the seal of the Entomo- 

 logical Society of Washington. It is found on still waters, such 

 as canals, and is carnivorous in its habits like the other members 

 of the family. 



Although the water striders are truly aquatic, they are 

 structurally more closely allied to the land bugs than to most of 

 of the other water bugs, and especially in that they have free and 

 conspicuous antennae, the water bugs of the group Cryptocerata 

 having, as stated elsewhere, the antennae hidden in a pocket 

 beneath the head. 



