Nineteenth Annual meeting. 81 



however, before reaching the ground. The oviposition of the female begins late in 

 the forenoon, and continues till night, the act being repeatedly observed as late as 

 7 p. M. 



From April 24th to May 13th an effort was made to keep some of the flies in 

 a breeding-cage, to more carefully note their habits. The cage contained potted 

 cedar, Juniijerus virginiana, and the California redwood, Sequoia gigantea. The 

 weather at this time was somewhat cool and stormy, and the flies mostly disappeared 

 from the trees on the grounds. Although the breeding-cage above mentioned was 

 kept in the College greenhouse, the insects did not appear to thrive, became sluggish, 

 and died without depositing eggs, as observed. 



May 3. — An examination of the eggs, now quite plainly visible, owing to the dry- 

 ing and cracking apart of the scale above them, showed them to contain nearly - 

 formed larva?, having well-defined segments and minute dark eye-spots. With the 

 return of pleasant weather, the flies again appeared numerously about the cedars, 

 and did not finally disappear before the 12th of May. 



Mat 7. — Larvae observed on terminal twigs near the egg-cases, from which they 

 have evidently just emerged. Length ^ inch; head brownish; eye-spots black; body 

 with 22 feet — 6 thoracic and 16 abdominal; color dirty green, having a dark appear- 

 ance. The back has a transmitted pink tint, and the thoracic region is much swollen 

 — I greater in diameter than the abdominal portion; thoracic feet marked with 

 black, appearing entirely black. (Fig. 3, a.) A number of larvae and unhatched eggs 

 were placed in a breeding-cage at this date, and these were added to at various times 

 during the larval period. 



Mat 12. — Larvae first secured (on May 7 ) enter the first moulting stage. Lengths 

 |-f inch; body smooth, glossy, not slimy; color unchanged, except possibly to a 

 lighter shade. The larvae were abundant on the cedars at this time, and were ob- 

 served to eat habitually the ends only of tender twigs. 



Mat 18. — Second moulting. Length |-i inch; no change noted in color and 

 form. 



Mat 20-22. — Third moulting: ground color of body as before given, marked, 

 however, along the center of the dorsum, and half-way down on either side, by wide 

 longitudinal grayish-black lines extending from the head to the last segment; length 

 i-finch. (Fig. 3.) 



Mat 25-29. — Fourth moulting: the three longitudinal lines above noted are better 

 defined and of a darker color. (Alcoholic specimens of larvae between the first and 

 second moultings show, on careful examination, traces of these lines, though none 

 were observed on living worms.) The usual pinkish tint of the central dorsal region 

 almost wanting; length f inch. The larvae on the cedars on the grounds are abun- 

 dant, and conspicuous from their size and color. Those in the breeding-cage are 

 apparently thriving, feeding readily on cedar twigs, and somewhat sparingly on the 

 redwood. When not feeding, the larvae rest on terminal twigs, with their heads and 

 thoracic regions elevated. If disturbed at any time the head and thoracic are thrown 

 back over the body, and the thoracic feet protruded to their full extent, thus present- 

 ing a quite formidable appearance. ( Fig. 1.) 



On June 10th the larvce, having attained a length of from 1 to IJ inches, began 

 to enter the soil, and by the 15th of July all had thus disappeared, both in the breed- 

 ing-cage and from the trees on the grounds. Nearly a month's difference will be 

 noted in the oviposition of the earliest and latest eggs, and a corresponding or rather 

 greater variation in the moulting stages of different larvae, as shown in the time 

 from the beginning of the fourth moulting to the final disappearance of the larvae 

 from the trees. 

 6 



