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HUNGERFORD: AQUATIC HEMIPTERA. 95 
the tibia of the foreleg, and the other drawing forth the body juices 
through the beak inserted just behind one eye. Many a young marsh- 
treader meets such a fate! Only a few minutes are required to crumple 
the little body down to a shapeless form. 
Number of Instars. There are five nymphal instars, as has been noted 
by Martin. These have not heretofore been described, however, and 
great difficulty and confusion resulted in the writer’s first attempts to do 
so, due to the fact that length within the instars varied so greatly. At 
last, by the use of limb measurements which are fairly constant, it was 
possible to make a description that could be applied for the identification 
of material taken in the field. All the rearings were apterous when 
mature. 
Maturity. Bueno has given us the time between mating and oviposi-’ 
tion, but not the time from emergence to oviposition. He mated a virgin 
female July 26 and on the 28th or 29th it laid the first egg. The entire 
period from emergence to egg laying need occupy but two days. 
Fecundity. The peculiar shape of these insects and the relatively large 
eges (see pl. XIII, fig. 15) has led to the belief that reproduction is not 
very rapid. To determine this point the writer carried out numerous 
isolations. Here is the story of a stender dish containing eight females 
and one male. The bugs were placed here July 8, and the eggs were 
counted and removed from time to time. 
Sil yabe Sears Miss ster 6 eggs removed. 
SEU e ales Coles epee 127 eggs removed. 
DulyaeliGeaps merase 6 eggs removed. 
Jimi ale Os Tekee, 5 cles 53 eggs removed. 2 females dead; 6 
females remain. 
UVa lS an ati ewes cee 18 eggs removed. Male escaped. 
Sy 2 0 te 22 eggs removed. 
July 26, ——........ 135 eggs removed. 
DULY (28) ks 2 females dead; 4 females 
remain. 
dtl, 79), Ss 13 eggs removed. 1 female dead; 3 
females remain. 
5 ee apes No eggs removed. 
Aug. 2 
Aug. 4). lecdes 1 female dead; 2 females 
remain. 
Aug. 5, ——........ 46 eggs removed. 
Auict 6: 7a. IMac: cro eee 13 eggs removed. 
ACI OTE ATMs. iis sistas 10 eggs removed. 
PND Vesta bl bool 959 00 Beno G 42 eggs removed. 1 female dead; 1 
‘female remains. 
ANTIEAS B Ns ci ovigeek aon 30 eggs removed. Drop experiment. 
By keeping in mind the number of females involved during each period 
we get an average of 3.6 eggs per day laid by each female from July 8 
to August 31. The first 9 days the 8 females laid 192 eggs, an average of 
2% plus, each per day. The next day 6 females laid 3 eggs each, and for 
the 10-day period laid 175 eggs, which was very nearly an average of 3 
eggs per female each day. August 6, 2 females laid 13 eggs, and the next 
day, 5 each. This remarkable record was continued for the next five 
days. The production then declined. In another jar one nymph was 
placed. This became an adult female August 1. On the 5th there were 
