February, '16] gossard: periodical cicada 53 



the largest record I have for a single mass. These eggs hatch at the 

 end of three days and the little, blood-red insects with black head and 

 thorax remain massed together beside the egg-shells for three days 

 with apparently no desire for food. At the end of this time they molt 

 and at once start out in search of food, which consists for the most 

 part of small, larval forms of insects. At the end of six days they 

 again molt The third instar lasts from four to five days, fourth instar 

 from four to six clays, and the fifth and final instar from seven to ten 

 days. Under our conditions, we have from four to five broods per 

 year. These insects are entirely predaceous, except possibly to a 

 slight extent during the first instar when they may suck plant juices 

 if they feed at all, which thus far is unproved. By nature they are 

 very greedy, and kill many of our common insect pests when given the 

 opportunity. During the early part of their life they show their pref- 

 erence for small insects such as aphids and recently hatched forms of 

 beetles, moths and butterflies. I have found them feeding on almost 

 every common form of caterpillar, the larval forms of beetles such as 

 the elm leaf beetle, poplar leaf beetle, potato beetle, etc. I will say, 

 however, that they show a great dislike to hairy caterpillars, such as 

 the fall webworm, etc., and seem unable to exist on such food. The 

 winter is passed in the adult stage in some sheltered place. 



President Glenn W. Herrick: The next paper will be read by 

 Mr. H. A. Gossard. 



THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE PERIODICAL CICADA IN OHIO 



By H. A. GossAED 



Three cicada years have occurred since I came to Ohio, and the 

 accompanying maps show as accurately as I have been able to deter- 

 mine, the present distribution of the broods of 1906, 1914 and 1915. 

 The brood of 1911 was due to occur in Hamilton County and that of 

 1912 in Champaign County according to Bui. 71, Bur. of Ent., 

 U. S. D. A., but I have no data whatever to indicate whether these 

 waning broods appeared according to schedule, or have become extin- 

 guished. 



The map for the 1906 brood, or brood XIV of septendecim, accord- 

 ing to Marlatt's numbering, is based upon 109 report cards, 55 of 

 which recorded the presence of the insect and its general distribution 

 in the counties of the reporters, and 54 of which recorded its absence. 

 Most of the latter reports came from parties outside the zone of 

 occurrence and served to fix, quite satisfactorily, the boundaries of the 



