428 W. D. FUNKHOUSER 



Adults brought into the insectary for obsei'vation thrive very well on 

 twigs and branches of their usual host plants if the latter was renewed from 

 time to time. The twigs are put in open jars containing plenty of water, 

 the insects are put on the twigs, and a large bell jar, covered with netting 

 only at the top, is placed over the whole. At first the insects are inclinetl 

 to be restless and fly against the sides of the jar in their efforts to escape. 

 Soon, however, they become (juiet and settle down on the twigs. After 

 a few days, during which their efforts to fly thru the glass have proved 

 fruitless, the insects apparently become reconciled to their prison and the 

 bell jar may be removed for hours at a time, the insects not realizing that 

 the glass is not Ijetween them and liberty. Under such conditions the 

 processes of feeding, mating, and oviposition may be observed at close 

 range and very satisfactory results obtained. Practically all the commoner 

 species of the basin have been thus confined and their habits noted. 



On the whole, breeding experiments in the field have proved more 

 satisfactory than those conducted in the insectary. Certainly they are 

 far moi-e easily made and the results are more indicative of the natural 

 life of the insect studied. 



METHODS OF COLLECTING 



The methods of collecting Meml)racidae vary with the species desired 

 and no general method is applicable to all forms. The four methods 

 most connnonly used locally have been sweeping, beating, using trap 

 lanterns, and taking the insects by hand. Of these the last has been the 

 most satisfactory. 



A few of the local species — namely, Campylenchia latipes, Stictocephala 

 lutea, Stictocephala inermis, Ceresa hubalus, Ceresa taurina, Ceresa borealis, 

 Entylia bactriana, Publilia concava, and occasionally Enchenopa binotaia — 

 are taken by sweeping in pastures, along roadsides, in meadows, and 

 among the weeds in and around orchards. The nymphs as well as the 

 adults may be thus taken, and in the case of Campylenchia latipes sweeping 

 has been found the most satisfactory method of collecting. For most 

 of the forms, however, it is not productive of the best results, due to 

 the fact that the insects often cling very tightly to their hosts when dis- 

 turbed, and the hosts at the time when the insects are most numerous 

 are not easily swept. For example, sweet clover, alfalfa, buckwheat. 



