JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY 143 



The following notes on the copulation, resting positions, egg-laying 

 in nature and captivity, anci other details may be quoted from field 

 observations. 



May 14, 191 1 — This usually rare insect was common on a grassy 

 plot of land along Cascadilla Creek. The flies sit on the blades of 

 grass, the long antennae of the male directed straight ahead. The 

 males are very poor fliers and prefer to drop to the ground when 

 disturbed and clumsily work their way off along the ground. When 

 approached from the side they are much more easily alarmed and 

 fly away. When approached from above, they do not move until 

 the stick, finger, or whatnot, is within a couple of inches, when they 

 remove the fore feet from the support and, on nearer approach, 

 fall to the ground. When in copulation, the female tries to dis- 

 engage by rapidly vibrating the wings in attempted flight, repeating 

 this often, from every 1 to 5 seconds until disengaged or exhausted. 

 The male can disconnect himself at will. In copulation the female 

 is always uppermost unless exhausted, when both sexes lie flat on a 

 grass-blade. The female has the head up, the male the head down- 

 ward; copulation always takes places on a vertical support, usually 

 a blade of grass, sometimes a plant stem. The sexes remain in copu- 

 lation for quite a long time and are perfectly motionless. All of the 

 legs of both sexes are on the support unless in a position where this 

 is physically impossible, in which case as many as possible are used; 

 the hind legs of both sexes are held at right angles to the support, 

 the forelegs in front. After copulation the female generally drops 

 to the ground, the male, after a few moments' rest, flies away. Speci- 

 mens in copulation were found in abundance from 2 to 4 :30 p.m. when 

 no more could be discovered. From 4:30 to 7 p. m. solitary males 

 were common, but no females could be found on the grass-blades. 

 At 4:30 p. m., a few females were found clinging to the trunks of 

 the willow trees about two feet from the ground. At 5 :30 p. m., 

 females were noted in small groups over the water, evidently en- 

 gaged in oviposition, as they frequently dipped down to the surface. 

 These latter were in company with a large swarm of dancing Empi- 

 did flies (Rhamphomyia). Of the great numbers that were picked 

 from grasses in the afternoon a considerable proportion were fe- 



