2 74 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. vi. No. ? 



in 1914 and 1915. At Baltimore, Md., adults of this species emerged 

 from an infested oak table in a heated building as early as January 12, 

 1 91 6. General emergence at Falls Church, Va., however, did not begin 

 until about the middle of April, 1914 and 1915. The period of maximum 

 activity is from the last of April to the first part of June. The last adults 

 emerged during the first part of July. Mating occurred commonly dur- 

 ing May, in 191 5. 



OVIPOSITION 



Oviposition began a few days after mating and was observed to take 

 place principally during the middle of May, in 191 5. On May 24, 191 5, 

 many beetles were observed on radial sections of wood with their ovi- 

 positors deeply inserted into the open ends of pores or large longitudinal 

 vessels in the wood, but the first eggs were not found till June i, 191 5. 



The beetles seem to prefer to oviposit on those sections of seasoned 

 sapwood where the open ends of pores are most numerous. These pores 

 are especially prominent in "ring-porous" woods such as hickory, ash, 

 and oak, which are also the species most subject to attack by Lyctus 

 beetles. No eggs were observed on the surface of the wood, but all that 

 were found were in these pores. 



The females remain for several minutes with .the ovipositor in the pore, 

 and the process is repeated at several places. The female usually as- 

 sumes a position in which the body is parallel to the pore and the ovi- 

 positor is either curved down and bent forward into the pore underneath 

 the body or projected directly into the open end of the pore. However, 

 the ovipositor, which is long and flexible and reaches from the end of the 

 body to the thorax when extended forward, can be projected in any 

 direction. At the extremity of the ovipositor are two laterally placed 

 palpi. In the process of inserting the ovipositor into the pores, there is a 

 considerable preliminary period of thorough examination with these palpi 

 of all parts of the pore before an egg is laid. Two or more eggs are 

 usually laid near together in each pore utilized. Each female deposits 

 eggs in several pores. 



the; egg 



The egg (PI. XXVIII, fig. i) is cylindrical, rounded at the ends, and has 

 a slender strand or process attached to the cephalic pole. It is whitish 

 in color, somewhat shiny, i mm. in length with the strand attachment, 

 0.75 mm. in length without this process, and 0.175 mm. in wdth. This 

 process or strand is somewhat similar to that of the eggs of certain para- 

 sitic Hymenoptera — that is, parasites of the cotton boll weevil in the 

 families Eurytomidae and Encyrtidae (6, p. 49-51, pi. 2), but this is the 

 only instance known to the writer of such a process on the eggs of Coleop- 

 tera. The egg has a granular appearance (Pi. XXVIII, fig. 2), and at 

 the end which terminates in the process there is an area marked with 

 parallel, longitudinal striae (PI. XXVIII, fig. 4). The egg of L. linearis 



