CHERMES OF MAINE CONIFERS. 283 



of the thousands seen this season only very rarely was one 

 found headed in the other direction. In confinement as in 

 the open this species did not "oviposite" in the usual sense 

 of the term, as -the eggs were not expelled. As Fitch himself 

 accurately recorded what I have observed three seasons (1905, 

 1907, 1909*) "the females of these insects do not extrude their 

 eggs. Clinging closely to the leaf with their heads towards 

 its base, they die, their distended abdomens appearing like a 

 little bag filled with eggs. The outer skin of the abdomen 

 soon perishes and disappears, leaving the mass of eggs adhering 

 to the side of the leaf, but completely covered over and pro- 

 tected by the closed wings of the dead fly." Such an egg cluster 

 comprises about 100 eggs. 



The eggs of the Chermes which settled on the pine needles 

 June 22-25, m the cage migration test recorded, were hatch- 

 ing July 3, in conspicuous numbers. 



These young, the progeny of the migrants, settle at the tips 

 of the new pine shoots where by the latter part of July their 

 presence is rendered conspicuous on account of the white waxy 

 secretion of the Chermes. This secretion gives a white woolly 

 appearance to the infested portion similar to but much less 

 dense than that of pinicorticis on the trunk of the white pine. 



Where the infestation is heavy it causes a yellowish and 

 sickly appearance of the new growth which is thus considerably 

 stunted. As will be seen by Fig. 132 taken July 23, 1909, the 

 new needles are not at this time full grown. The new needles 

 on twig photographed were yellowish for a part of their length 

 and the whole tip of the twig had an unhealthy appearance. 



It will be seen from the date of the flight of this species from 

 the spruce galls to the pine, about June 15-21, that the pine 

 leaves on which they settle to oviposite are those of previous 

 years growth, that is, the needles of 1909 have not started 

 sufficiently for the pinifoliae of June 1909 to use. 



This fact is in contrast with a second species, Chermes floccus, 

 migrating from black spruce galls to pine needles late in July 



* I am not able at present to state whether there may be any signifi- 

 cance in this once in two years collection or not. I had not been paying 

 any particular attention to Chermes and they may have been present in 

 considerable numbers the other years also, and I had merely neither 

 collected nor recorded them. The notes as they stand suggest a two 

 year cycle but no observations as regard to this are yet available. 



