hungerford: aquatic hemiptera. 81 



distance and if his clasp is not secure, he gets away quickly. And well 

 he may, for in some of the glasses the males were killed and in one case 

 the female was observed still feasting upon the carcass of her unlucky 

 mate. The males are smaller and more slender than the females and in 

 mating take a position on the left side of the female and a trifle below, 

 appearing to grasp the femur of the female's middle left leg. The middle 

 and right hind legs of the male lie along the left margin of the female. 

 With antennas directed backward he remains rigidly in place while the 

 female moves about with antennae directed forward. It was not possible 

 to ascertain how the male could retain his position so rigidly in place. 

 All efforts to be certain that his legs were involved in clasping failed. 

 Mating took place at short intervals and often lasted for half hour 

 periods. One pair was observed to mate repeatedly every day from 

 June 28 to July 16, when the male was found dead. Eleven eggs had been 

 laid during this time. 



Ovipositioti. The eggs are hidden away, one in a place as a rule, be- 

 tween the leaflets of moss or beneath the sheaths of the shore grasses. 

 When in the moss they are exceedingly inconspicuous and when at the 

 base of grass clumps remain concealed until disturbed. Illustrations are 

 submitted herewith to indicate the manner in which they are to be found 

 and a sketch of the ovipositor of the female to show the instrument by 

 means of which the eggs are hidden. See plate X, figure 12, and plate 

 VI, figure 7. 



Eggs of Salda anthracina Uhler. 



Size. Length, 1.05 mm.; diameter, 0.375 mm. 



Shape. Elongate-cylindrical, one end broadly rounded, the other con- 

 stricted near the end and curved upward in such a manner that in profile 

 one side appears slightly concave and the other considerably convex. 



Color. Pearly white and shiny, smaller and slightly whiter. Surface 

 finely granular as seen under low power compound. 



Xj-mph of Salda anthracma. 

 When the species was first taken all the specimens were in the last 

 and next to the last instar. The nymphs are somewhat more flattened 

 than the adults. The antennal segments are thicker in proportion to 

 their length and the eyes much less protuberant. Ocelli are lacking in 

 the nymph while the adult possesses a pair of prominent ones. The tarsi 

 are two-segmented in the nj-mph, three in the adult. Secondary sexual 

 characters not apparent in the nymph. 



Egg of Lampra^ayithia crass^icomis Uhler. 



Size. Length, 1 mm.; diameter, 0.3 mm. 



Shape. Elongate-cylindrical, both ends bluntly pointed, one more than 

 the other, and curved upward. Camera lucida drawings of the eggs of 

 both species are shown on the plate X, figures 6 and 7. 



Suitimary. The species of Saldids observed will live upon recently 

 killed insects. They place their eggs beneath the leaf sheaths of moss and 

 about the base of grass clumps. These species are inhabitants of the 



6 — Sci. Bui. — 1669. 



