370 W. D. FUNKHOUSER 



is plainly visible. The larger, lower leaves of the plant are most likely 

 to show egg masses, probably because these leaves are the ones available 

 in the early spring when oviposition begins. It will be remembered that 

 these two species winter over in the adult stage and are therefore among 

 the first of the membracids to lay their eggs in the spring. The leaf 

 on which the eggs are laid usually withers and dies soon after the nymphs 

 reach maturity. In the case of the thistle and the goldenrod, however, 

 this is not serious to the plant, since the same tiring takes place by mid- 

 summer as a result of natural conditions whether the leaves are infested 

 or not. 



Some species deposit their eggs in both the stems and the buds. This 

 is true of Enchenopa hinotata, Ceresa horealis, and Cyrtolobus vau. The 

 choice of the position seems to depend in some cases on the host plant and 

 in others on the season. Enchenopa hinotata, for example, lays its eggs 

 in the twigs of the locust but in the buds of the butternut; Cyrtolobus vau 

 oviposits in the stems during the earlier part of the season and in the 

 buds in the fall. 



A number of species choose the axil of a leaf as the spot for oviposition. 

 This seems to be the case invariably for Telamona ampelopsidis and 

 occasionally for Vanduzea arquata. 



One or two species oviposit in the roots or on the base of the stem 

 below the surface of the ground. This pecuhar method has been reported 

 by the writer in a former paper for Thelia bimaculata (Funkhouser, 1915 b), 

 and has been found true likewise for Stictocephala festina. 



In all cases the eggs are protected only by the overlying bark or bud 

 scales. The latter protection is probably the more efficacious since the 

 pubescence on the inside of the scale tends to promote warmth and 

 dryness. 



The mechanics of oviposition differ decidedly in various species. In 

 most cases the ovipositor is extended at right angles to the body and thrust 

 perpendicularly into the host. Here it remains until all the eggs making 

 the complement of a single egg mass are deposited. The ovipositor 

 seems to move but slightly in the egg slit during the process, altho a 

 decided movement of the abdomen is observable. All the species of the 

 genera Telamona, Glossonotus, Carynota, and Cyrtolobus whose oviposit- 

 ing habits have been observed show this method of depositing eggs. 



