[ 107] 



base, wire gauze sides and glass front. They contained a bed of turf two 

 to three inches deep. Mating and oviposition readily took place, and on 

 the turf being broken up later a considerable number of recently hatched 

 larvae was found. A later search in the month of October, however, 

 showed the mortality to have been considerable. On 1st November, the 

 turf was again broken up and the surviving grubs coUectea and measured. 

 The lengths were taken by allowing the larvae to crawl upon a sheet 

 of paper and pricking this at the moment of their maximum extension. 

 About one half the number of larvae was found to be under 16 mm. 

 in length, and the remainder from 30 to 35 mm. It is remarkable 

 that the larvae may attain to nearly their maximum length quite 

 early, but it must be noted that they are relatively slender at this 

 period. Subsequent growth takes place in the direction of thickness. 

 By the end of the month the disparity in size was not so great. They 

 all conformed to Beling's description of Tipula paludosa larva. In 

 November clover was sown in the cages; this for a time afforded 

 opportunities for feeding but was allowed to die out during winter. 

 These larvae lived throughout the greater part of the following summer 

 in soil containing decaying vegetable matter only, and duly pupated 

 and emerged as adults in July and the early days of August. 



As a control upon the above, portions of second year's grass upon 

 the farm were dug up in October, the turf was disintegrated, shaken 

 up in sieves, and the soil searched. Larvae were found and measured 

 in a similar manner, and the commonest size at this date was found to 

 range from 20 to 25 mm. These also were identified as T. paludosa. 



Larvae collected out of doors during November and the first half of 

 December showed a maximum size of 20 mm. These were relatively 

 slender at this degree of extension, and contracted when handled to 

 much smaller bulk than the laboratory reared specimens. 



The larvae collected out of doors on 1st November, and which were 

 separately caged, but kept under similar conditions, when fully extended 

 measured 36 mm. in December, but in this state were distinctly more 

 slender in the body. Examination of the contents of the alimentary canal 

 showed that they had fed upon the decaying rootlets in the soil. As 

 the season progressed it was found that there was eventually no signifi- 

 cant difference in size between those reared indoors and those living 

 a natural life outside. The records of soil temperature taken on the 

 farm showed that there had been little frost during this experiment. 

 The winter was a mild one, and the facts suggest that some feeding at 

 least had taken place amongst the larvae out of doors. In a subsequent 



