Insect Life on the Western Arctic Coast of America 27k 
sp.) emerging from perlid nymphs were noticed. The nymphs were crawling 
up on the stones in the creek. Attached to these stones by their rear suctorial 
disk-wart were simuhid (black-fly) larvae up to 1 cm. long. About a dozen 
were sitting together on each stone and when the stones were lifted, the larvae 
released their hold and tried to slip off. When placed in a tumbler, they could 
easily climb up the glass by the aid of their thoracic (central) "wart-leg" and the 
suctorial disk at their hind end, somewhat after the manner of a spanner worm. 
Or they would spin threads from the water-surface to the inside of the glass 
and ascend on them, l)ut they are not able to float without these threads. When 
at rest, these larvae attached themselves to the glass or to the threads by their 
hind disk and kept the body straight out or at some angle. Only then are 
their famous plumose gills to be seen on the expanded neck. These are 
folded up and stretched out, one at a time, continuously, with varying quick- 
ness; there is about one second between two "strokes," simultaneously with 
the maxillae, but the latter move both together. 
The powerful and varied means of locomotion possessed by these simuliids 
is due to their living in running water, the scarcity of which around Bernard 
harbour at this period profmbly explains the scarcity of the fly. Farther east, 
the species is very common. Efforts to rear the larvae were unsuccessful. 
Ju7ie 21-30, 1915 
Flying insects now are often met with (Bombus neoboreus, etc., all queens, 
various flies, etc.) but the majority of insects are still upon the ground. 
The ponds and lakes around the harbour, the lakes being only partly free 
of ice, were examined. In the ponds were the common mosquito larvae (Aedcs 
7iearcticus) and an occasional fly larva {Rhamphomyia sp.), freshwater snails 
(Aplexa hypnonun) attached to grass leaves or as empty shells upon the mud 
bottom, dytiscid beetles, midge larvae tubes of caddis-flies, etc., and two kinds 
of water mites. One of these mites (Thyas stolli) is 1-1 1 mm. long, has black 
ej^es, and a round and flattened abdomen of a bright rose colour. It is always 
seen crawling over the mud l^ottom. The other mite (Curvipes reighardi) is less 
than 1 mm. long and has the ball-shaped aljdomen tile-red with the legs and 
cephalothorax still darker. It is not so often seen crawling, but generally paddles 
with all its long-haired legs, rising or sinking in the water at will. 
The large lakes contain various trichopterous larvae in their tubes; they will 
attach themselves even to a baited hook. The usual dytiscid beetles and 
various midge larvae {Chironomus sp., etc.), and the larger dipterous larvae are 
present. Crawling on the bottom in the marginal water are perlid larvae 
(nymphs), evidently near their final transformation, for over the snow covering 
the lake ice one mild day (June 25) a number of imagines (Capnia nearctica), 
probably of the same species, were seen crawling with wings already, but not 
fully developed. They may have come up through cracks in the ice, or from 
the ice-free marginal water. The direction in which they crawled indicated 
an instinctive knowledge of the location of the shore, even if they are far out on 
the lake. They perhaps make for the shore to copulate, but their life as imagines is 
probably very short. Three months later in the same locality, similar instances, 
but on a larger scale, were seen, only it was then trichopterous imagines. On 
these lakes the usual collembola {Podura aquatica, etc.) assembled in large colon- 
ies, the full-groAvn blue ones carrying their small, brown, young ones on their 
backs in grebe style. Minute, jumping-flying flies were also common. A larger 
fly with similar locomotion had half a dozen minute, flat, round mites on the 
central side of the first abdominal rings. 
July 1-10, 1916 
Many flowers are out, resulting in a great number of insects. The flying 
varieties include flies, crane-flies, midges, and mosquitoes. The crane-flies are 
typical of dry tundra places and are frequent on ponds. Of hymenoptera, various? 
