1916 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 69 



The duration of the nymphal stage iu our open air insectary corresponds 

 closely with that in the orchard, as proved by extensive observations, but the life 

 of the adult insect under natural conditions is much longer than the insectary re- 

 cords would seem to indicate. Eepeated experiments show that the adults will not 

 thrive in confinement, but keep flying restlessly about, until they die of exhaustion. 

 For the first week or ten days after emerging the adults were abundant in the 

 orchard, but after that they began to die ofE quite rapidly. It was an easy matter 

 during this time to find a number of dead bugs fastened along the midrib of a single 

 apple leaf. The bugs have a habit, when about to die, of extruding the caudal ex- 

 tremity of the alimentary canal, which is covered by a viscid secretion, by means 

 of which they attach themselves to the leaf. 



Though large numbers of bugs died during the latter part of July, there was 

 no difficulty in finding specimens through the month of August and early Sep- 

 tember. After that individual specimens could only be located with difficulty. On 

 August 27th 50 adults were collected, 46 being females and four males ; on August 

 30th, 50 more were collected, 45 females and five males; on September 3rd, col- 

 lected 31 specimens, 27 females and four males; September 9th, 10 insects col- 

 lected, all females, September 13th, 10 more specimens, all females, and on Septem- 

 ber 17th only two adult females could be found. From that date until October 

 7th scattering female specimens have been taken. 



OVIPOSITION. 



The eggs are laid beneath the tender bark of pears and apples, principally the 

 latter. All attempts to catch the female in the act of oviposition were fruitless, 

 though many hundreds of females were brought into the laboratory and placed on 

 apple and pear limbs, or upon apple seedlings beneath jars or wire frames. In no 

 case was the female observed to oviposit, but after flying around for a few days 

 dropped to the ground and died. Neither were we able to make any observations 

 on this point in the orchard, owing to the extreme shyness of the adult insect, and 

 to the almost continuous Avet weatlier that prevailed at that time. Eggs were found 

 beneath the bark on July 20th and several times subsequent to that date, which 

 agreed in every respect with those dissected from the female insect. 



H. H. Ejiight,* who observed one female of Lyfjiis invitus in the act of oviposi- 

 tion, writes of it in these words : — 



The female observed to oviposit was first discovered when the ovipositor was in- 

 serted nearly to its base in a fresh pear shoot of the present year's growth. After 

 two minutes the ovipositor was withdrawn. The female turned, inspected the hole, 

 then moved along the branch about two inches. After five minutes she became very 

 active and proceeded along the branch feeling with antennae and beak. She soon re- 

 turned to the spot where eggs had been placed before, and, with proboscis to mark the 

 opening, she raised up, unsheathed the ovipositor, and made the insertion much in the 

 same manner as observed in the case of apple red bugs. A period of two minutes 

 elapsed before the ovipositor was withdrawn. Upon examining the branch, it was 

 found that six eggs had been laid in a space 1 mm. long. The eggs were closely packed 

 in a double row lying flat just within the cambium layer. Of two eggs measured, the 

 length is 1.05 mm. by 26 mm. wide. 



Habits of Nymphs. 



Tlie nymphs of this insect are extremely ehisive in their habits, which prob- 

 ably explains the fact that, though their injury has been known for many years, 

 they themselves have never been connected with it until the present time. When 



♦Jour, of Economic Entomology, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 296-297, 



