THE SOUTHERN PINK SAWYKH. 



51 



HABITS. 



Preparatory to layiiitj; th(> I'^'J^'s, tho fcmalo (li<:;s with her mandibles 

 quite a conspicuous e^'g pit in tlie ])ark (figs. 18, a, and 21, <:•). This 

 pit is more or less funnel shaped, though sometimes it is mereh' a 

 transverse slit, and reaches as far as the outermost layer of soft, sap])y 

 bark. The female, while digging the egg pit, is generally accompanied 

 by the male, who clasps the posterior end of her body with his fore- 

 legs, and frequently fertilizes her while she is digging the pit. In 

 one instance where tlu' operation was noted, the feninlc did not dis- 

 continue digging while copidation took place. Many combats take 



Fio. 18.— The pinesaw-yer: a, Eyg pit; b, eggs in position in which they were placed by female, the 

 outer bark Iwing removed. About one-half natural size. (Original.) 



place between males for the possession of a female during oviposition. 

 The ovipositor is thrust into the egg pit and in between the soft, 

 sappy ])ark and the first layer of outer hartl bark, and the eggs are 

 deposited in a circle around the bottom of the egg pit, the egg (or 

 the end of the egg nearest the pit) being placed from one-eighth to 

 one-quarter of an inch away from the egg pit (see fig. 18, b). As 

 many as nine eggs liave l)een foimd deposited through a single pit 

 opening. 



In about live days these eggs hatch, and the small larva^ issuing 

 therefrom begin feeding u})on the soft inner bark, and soon work their 

 way through it, but <lo not enter the wood until they have attaineil 

 considerable growth. During this ])eriod they make irregular gal- 

 leries through the iimer bark just next to the wootl, deriving their 

 entire sustenance from the bark and making no marks or cuttings 

 upon the wood. In from eighteen to thirty-two days after hatching 

 the larva' mine into the sapwood (lig. 19). A few days previous 

 to this they are to be found cutting rather broad, irregidar ])aths upon 

 the surface of the sapwood with their mandibles (fig. 19, d). This 

 process is called "scoring." After making the entrance into the 

 wood the larvae come out again to feed upon the inner bark, evidently 



