1915] Funkhouser — Life History of Vanduzeu Arqiiala Say 187 



from each other. Copuhition has been timed for ten minutes, but 

 may average longer. Mating has not been observed generally 

 throughout the summer, but after the period in June the process 

 seems to be discontinued, to become very noticeable again about 

 the middle of August. 



There appear to be three rather distinct seasons for egg-laying, 

 one about the middle of June, one the last of July, and one in 

 September; during the summer the eggs are laid at the base of the 

 bud scales of the preceding year, in the fall the eggs are laid in the 

 buds. These periods, however, are more or less irregular, and 

 the nymphs do not all mature at equal rate, so that immature 

 forms of all stages may be found during most of the summer. 

 The eggs laid during the early summer failed to hatch in the lab- 

 oratory, probably on account of the unnatural sap conditions to 

 which the twig was necessarily subjected, so that it could not 

 be definitely ascertained in the course of this study just what the 

 exact time was which was required for hatching. Field notes, how- 

 ever, record eggs laid on July 15 and the first instars observed 

 on July 29, so that the time is approximately fourteen days. The 

 eggs laid in the fall winter over, and when twigs containing these 

 eggs are brought into the laboratory in the spring, the nymphs 

 emerge shortly after the opening of the bud. 



In oviposition the female makes a small, deep puncture and 

 apparently does not remove the ovipositor during the process, 

 although a decided movement of the abdomen may be observed. 

 From three to six eggs are laid in one mass, in a finger-like cluster 

 (Fig. 2), the bases of the eggs being about .3 mm. apart and the 

 tips pressed closely together. The average number of eggs in 

 such a cluster is four. The slit is very small — about 1.5 mm. 

 long — and soon closes after the ovipositor is withdrawn, leaving 

 no external evidence of the process. The eggs are about 1.4 mm. 

 long, white, and club-shaped (Fig. 1), quite large for the size of 

 the insect. The inner surface of the outer bud scales of the 

 locust is covered with a deep, felt-like pile of soft hair which 

 covers and protects the eggs (Fig. 3.) The eggs are laid deep at 

 the base of the scale and the tips do not project out of the host, 

 as in the case of the eggs of some of the other members of this 

 family. 1 One female has been observed to make two such slits, 



1 Cf. Hodgkiss, H. E. The Apple and Pear Membracids. Agr. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. 17. 

 Geneva 1910. PI. 3, Fig. 1. 



