Insect Life on the Western Arctic Coast of America 29k 
common. The first Brenthis were seen on the 6th, the first Oeneis on the 7th, 
the first Erebia on the 9th. An occasional phryganeoid imago is seen and a 
great variety of flies, crane-flies, (tipuUdse), and midges. Small jumping-flies 
were common on dry seaweed July 1. The first biting mosquitoes {Aedes sp.) 
were seen July 9, at the harbour, and soon became troublesome. 
Among the many insects found upon the ground, large spiders (Lycosa sp.) are 
seen feeding on other spiders, and beetles. Minute, dark-red mites (Trom- 
hidium sucidum) frequents the gravelly slopes with southern exposure, where an 
occasional weevil (Sito7ia sp., Trichalophus sp.) or chrysomelid beetle, and the 
common carabids may also be seen. The minute hemiptera (Ortholytus sp.?) 
are seen only on calm, sunny days or in well-sheltered places, otherwise remain- 
ing hidden in the plant tufts (Oxytropis, Potentilla, etc.). They make a noise 
something like the chirp of the grasshopper. They were first noticed July 6 and 
were in different stages; the smallest ones moulted, embedding their trunks in 
a plant stem; the somewhat larger ones had orange abdomen, head, and wings, 
with blue-black eyes and dark, brown legs. The largest were green with head, 
eyes, wings, and legs light brown. All had two pairs of rudimentary wings. 
Other small, wingless, dark brown hemiptera 2 mm. long, were seen. Puparia of 
various flies taken from plants and moss were placed for rearing on 7th (Rearing 
67) and from one of these the imago emerged five days later. 
Among the various lepidopterous larvae and pupae was the caterpillar mining 
in the stems and root of Pedicularis lanata noticed for the first time this year 
on the 4th. A cocoon collected on the 7th, had a smooth, black pupa 2 cm. 
long attached to a stone and proved to be the rare moth Hyporaia festiva; the 
imago emerged on July 24, and began to lay its eggs two weeks later (Rearing 68). 
A pond on the tundra near the harbour contained only white oligochaete 
worms (Henlea sp.), thus showing a surprising lack of insect life as compared 
with other ponds. In a nearby pond were noticed two days later— larvae 
of midges, dytiscids and in the overflow from the pond an abundance of animal- 
culae. On July 6, many larvae, of all sizes, and pupae of common mosquitoes 
(Aedes sp.) were found in ponds, and several intermediate stages were noticed; 
first the abdomen shows the pupal characters; then the thorax; and soon the 
"pre-pupa" much paler than the immediately following pupa appears. The 
pupae are easy to rear, as they need no food, and about a week later the adults 
emerge (Rearing 59, 59a). Efforts to rear the dystiscid larvae with these mos- 
quito larvae as food, failed. 
July 11-20, 1916 
On the 14th inst., the shores of Dolphin and Union strait were visited and a 
great number of flying insects were observed. Mosquitoes {Aedes nearcticus) 
were troublesome in sheltered places; flies, Pogomyia quadrisetosa, Rhamphomyia 
conservativa, etc.) were noticed on the flowers of Dryas, Potentilla, etc.; (PI. 
I, fig. 1), and two female bot-flies. (Edemagena (Hypoderma) tarandi, were cap- 
tured. They made no sound until placed in the killing bottle when they pro- 
duced a buzzing noise of short duration. These are the flies whose maggots 
are found in the caribou. Many bumblebees (Bombus sylvicola, etc.), butterflies 
{Colias sp., Oeneis sp., Brenthis sp., Lycaena aquilo), and various moths were 
collected; the butterflies had wings scaleless and somewhat torn, where exposed 
to the wind on the open tundra; the moths were found principally upon the 
sheltered slopes of gravel ridges. The common invertebrates, including insects, 
were observed in ponds; even a waterhole with brackish water and many green 
algse contained midge larvae, and was teeming with dark-red copepods (Eury- 
temora sp.) a favourite food for the phyllopods {Branchinecta paludosa), also 
found here. 
