THE WHERRYMEN OR WATER STRIDERS. 973 



doubtless perish. C. F. C. Riley (1919, 1920, 1922 and 1922a) 

 and Bueno (1917b) have published interesting accounts of the 

 habits of G. remigis and G. marginatus. The former states that 

 in captivity both species feed normally upon various species of 

 insects, but when hungry are not particular as to the character 

 of their food, eating the soft parts of bananas, snails and even 

 one another. From Bueno I quote as follows : 



"Of all the bugs I know I can think of none so amorous as our com- 

 mon large water-strider, Gerris remigis Say. From the earliest days of 

 spring, when the Frost King releases the waters from his bondage, till 

 the cloudy days of autumn, when the leaves fall and the winds grow 

 bleak at his return, these beasties are common and familiar sights to the 

 lover of the quiet flowing waters running to the distant seas. In these 

 haunts in some still little bay or moveless backwater, under a bridge, or 

 in the shadow of a tree, or in the cool recesses of an overhanging bank, 

 you may see remigis gathered in numbers, rowing silently about, now 

 and again skipping to escape the maw of some greedy fish, or pouncing 

 on some unfortunate insect fallen into the water and struggling to escape 

 from the clutches of that deadly element. Here they rear large families 

 and spend at ease the sultry dog-days. When winter comes again the 

 old generation have passed away and their young descendants, now full 

 grown, seek shelter against frost and snow under nearby logs or stones 

 on the banks, or crevices in them; there to sleep until in the round of 

 days Old Sol routs the chills of winter and spring once more ushers in 

 the leaves and flowers, and vivifies all the reproductive powers of nature, 

 in which Gerris is not the least factor. 



"In nature the life history of Gerris remigis appears to be briefly 

 this : Breeding and oviposition begin as early as February, or in the 

 first warm days of spring. It is seemingly continuous all through the 

 summer, and it is not unusual to find nymphs in various stages in com- 

 pany with the adults. The mother lays her cylindrical pearly eggs end to 

 end along the edges of grasses or other vegetation growing into the 

 water, to which she attaches them by means of a colorless waterproof 

 glue. Here they develop more or less quickly, according to the tempera- 

 ture, the little bugs showing day by day more plainly through the shell. 

 At the end of a week or ten days they burst the shell and escape into the 

 water. In time, some six days or so, they cast their skins with accom- 

 panying changes in structure. This takes place four times more before 

 they reach the perfect insect at the end of about six weeks. It is thus 

 possible for G. re»iigis to have at least three generations in a summer, if 

 not more, depending, of course, on the length and temperature of the 

 season. 



"Gerris remigis is parasitized by a bright red water mite, which 

 attacks it in all stages of development. I have found in midsummer an 

 individual with head completely covered with these larval mites, except- 

 ing the eyes and beak ; a winged specimen had the thorax invaded. Poly- 

 morphism is not displayed by this species, which is only dimorphic, being 



