1916] Life History of Pterodontia 315 



over the paper strips, one could see the eggs appear upon the 

 paper as minute black specks sprinkled in irregular rows. An 

 examination of the bark of the trees showed the leeward side 

 of each tree to be literally sprinkled with thousands of eggs. 

 One of the ovipositing flies was so bold as to hurl her eggs on to 

 the face and hands of the writer while making these observations. 



The eggs contained in the handkerchief were removed to a 

 watch glass by means of a soft brush. Many of the eggs were 

 lost or crushed during the process; however those remaining 

 numbered 2,300. All of these w^re deposited by a single female 

 in a period of not more than forty-five minutes. 



A second series of egg counts has been made from three 

 females taken July 14, 1916. The counts represent the entire 

 number of eggs deposited by each female from the time of 

 capture until death. They are as follows: No. one, 987; No. 

 two, 3,344; and No. three, 3,977. Most of these eggs were 

 deposited during the morning of the first day, and in no case 

 did the captive flies live for more than two days. 



THE EGGS OF PTERODONTIA. 



The eggs (Figs. 4 and 5) are very minute, measuring .18 mm. 

 in length and .15 mm. in width. They are slightly compressed 

 and pear-shaped in outline and are of a dull black color. Under 

 high magnification the chorion has a granular appearance as 

 shown in Figure 6. When first deposited, the eggs are coated 

 with an adhesive substance. 



LITERATURE ON THE OVIPOSITION AND EGGS OF 



THE cyrtid.e;. 



Brief notes are to be found concerning the eggs of several 

 European species. Friedrick Stein (18) in 1849 records finding 

 the eggs of Oncodes fuliginosus Erich, in mid- June on the stems 

 of Equisetum limosiim which was growing in a low, wet meadow 

 not far from Berlin. The eggs had been despoited in rows in 

 large numbers and covered the plants thickly. The eggs are 

 described as small, black, pear-shaped bodies. In 1894 Konig 

 (10) described the eggs and young larvae of what he thought 

 were those of either Oncodes gibbosus or 0. zonatus, since he 

 took both species in the same locality. The eggs had been 

 deposited on dead branches which had been used to make a 

 fence. The smallest twigs were thickly covered with rows of 



