Report of the State Entomologist 231 



"Within the following week, some of the larvse were found floating 

 upon the surface of the water. As this condition was believed to 

 indicate approaching pupation, they were transferred to a box of 

 dampened saw- dust, into which they buried themselves. 



Fk;. 4.— Larva of Helophilus catifeons, enlarged. 



At this time they presented the following features: The body was 

 subcylindrical, narrowing somewhat anteriorly, and one-half of an 

 inch in length by one-eighth of an inch broad; beneath, whitish, pale 

 brown above, becoming darker toward the tail; the several segments 

 show six divisions (as wrinkles or folds) abo f e, of which the front one 

 is the broadest; on segments two to seven apparently (the posterior 

 ones not being separable) are six pairs of tubercle-like feet, which, 

 when protruded, show each a short black spine. The head bears 

 anteriorly two brown, slender, blunt projections, so short as to be 

 barely visible without a magnifier. The first two joints of the dark 

 brown tail are corrugated, and measure seven-tenths of an inch in 

 length, with the terminal black-tipped extensile joint projecting from 

 them one-fourth of an inch. 



Other larvae were transferred for pupation July sixteenth, eighteenth 

 and the last on the twenty-fifth. 



Pupation. 



The transformation of the larva into the pupa and imago occurred 



within the material given it for the purpose. On the eighteenth of 



July, the first fly emerged; on the twenty-fifth the second appeared, 



and two others followed later, the dates of which were not noted. It 



appears from the above that the pupal stage is a brief one — of about 



ten days continuance. 



Habits of the Larva. 



My attention having recently been newly drawn to these rat-tail 



larvtt', request was made of Dr. Morey for such information as he 



might be able to give of the mode of occurrence and conduct of the 



company that had come under his notice in 1885. To his kindness, 



and habit of careful observation of animal forms which is so often 



associated with the advanced study and practice of medicine, we are 



indebted for the following interesting and valuable contribution to 



the history of these strange forms: 



The water-tank from which the larvae sent to you were taken, was a 

 road-side one on the farm of my father, in the town of Nassau. It 

 was the half of an old molasses cask or hogshead, which was fed by 

 water running for about six rods through the old-fashioned wooden 



