122 FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OP 



with longer white hair?, rufo-piceous above on the middle J of joint 1 ; venter with joint 1 piceons. 

 Legs with all the 6 knees, and in the 4 front legs the entire tibia except a spot on the exterior 

 middle, and also all the 6 tarsi except their extreme tips, and except in the hind legs the bassal $ of 

 the first tarsal joint, all dull pale rufous. Wings hyaline ; veins black. Length $ 0.25 inch ; alar 

 expanse 0.48 inch. 



One § ; (f unknown. Bred May 23 from a single puparium found in the November prece- 

 ding. On May '-' this puparium, which in the preceding autumn had been lightly covered with moist 

 sand and deposited in a cellar, had crawled up out of the sand a distance of two inches, and 

 attached itself to the stopper of the bottle in which it was inclosed, Upon hi ing r< | Lai ed under the 

 moist sand, it was found two days afterwards to have again crawled about an inch up the side of 

 the bottle. We have observed the same locomotive powers in the puparia of several other Syrphi- 

 dous insects, though, so far as we are aware, this very anomalous faculty has not hitherto been 

 commented on by authors. 



We are indebted to Dr. LeBaron, of Geneva, Ills., who has paid special attention to the 

 Order (Diptera) to which this insect belongs, for determining the genus to which it is properly re- 

 ferable. According to him, "the genus Pipiza differs from Sijrphus in the absence of the promi- 

 nence in the middle of the face, in the comparatively greater development of the posterior legs, 

 and in the want of the little spurious longitudinal vein in the middle of the wing." "The only 

 species discovered by Macquart," he adds, "is from Carolina, and very different from yours." 



Larva. — Dull pale flesh-color, tinged with yellow. Attenuated and somewhat depressed 

 anteriorly ; more blunt posteriorly, the anal segment being furnished with an elevated tube, which 

 is of a light polished brown at extremity. Wrinkled transversely, with a prominent fold at ante- 

 rior ami posterior edge of each segment. The larger segments well defined ; the smaller ones less 

 so. First segment thoroughly retractile, and sufficiently translucent when extended, to show the 

 dark triple-jointed mouth. A few soft, fleshy spines, of the same color as the body, and especially 

 distinct on anal segments. Generally covered and disguised by the soil which it inhabits. Length 

 when not extended, 0.23 of an inch. Described from two specimens taken in 1806 and three 

 in 1868. 



Pupa. — Dull dirty yellow. Gradually formed by the contraction of the larva, during which 

 time the wrinkles are obliterated, and it at last becomes quite smooth. Length 0.18. 



I first found this larva in December, 1SG6, at Cobden, Ills., and 

 have found it at several different times since, and though I failed to 

 breed any to the perfect state, Mr. Walsh was more fortunate. Won- 

 derful indeed must be that instinct, which enables the mother-fly to 

 perceive which particular trees in an orchard have their roots swarm- 

 ing with lice, so as to know exactly where to deposit her eggs! 



The third insect which preys upon these Root plant-lice, at least 

 in Missouri, is a small species of ladybird, belonging to the genus 

 Seymnus. The larva of this beetle is still more difficult to recognize 

 among the lice, as it is covered on the back with little tufts of wooly 

 matter, secreted from its own body. It is, when full grown, somewhat 

 larger than the lice, and altogether more active, and is distinguished 

 furthermore, by the wooly matter being of an even length and dis- 

 tributed over the back in transverse rows. Mr. J. F. Waters, of 

 Springfield, Missouri, sent to me a number of the apple root-lice, with 

 some of these little ladybird larvre among them, which he erroneous- 

 ly supposed to be the old lice. In due time I bred the perfect beetle 

 from them, and it proved to be a species which the French entomolo- 

 gist Mulsant, had described as Seymnus cervlcalls. It is a very in- 

 conspicuous little beetle, about 0.05 of an inch long, and of a deep 

 brown color, the thorax being of a lighter brown. From subsequent 

 correspondence with Mr. Waters I learned that the lice upon which 

 these little friends of ours were preying, were taken right from the 



