LOUISIANA CiBCULAH X<>. i. IT 



The keeping ,,f the larva- at oi-dinary living temperatures all 

 through the winter months decs not seem to hasten nml.-rialK 

 the appearance of the adults in the spring In many trials with 

 different species in breeding eauvs I find that the Hies issue at 

 .'.bout the lime that these matured under natural condition 

 appearing , )n the wing. Of course under natural conditions the 

 adults issue continuously over a period of several days, and in 

 some cases over several weeks, so that a comparison like the one 

 just given may he much in error, for the specimens reared in 

 the cages might have appeared naturally toward the latter part 

 of the normal period of emergence. 



The eggs are placed in masses of varying size on leaves or 

 stems of sedges and other plants growing in marshy or wet 

 ground, but not necessarily overhanging the water. Single masses: 

 may contain as many as 500 eggs, but oftentimes they are much 

 smaller. The egg mass is brownish in color permanently, but 

 when first placed is white, and very convex, being composed 

 of four or five layers of eggs one above the other. Kadi egg is; 

 elongate spin die-shaped, between two and three millimeters in 

 length, and irregularly narrowed at each end. The eggs hatch 

 iii about nine days in all cases so far observed. 



At first the larva/ are about four millimeters in length, as 

 near as the measurement can be taken, smaller in diameter than 

 ar ordinary pin. and pointed at each end. They are colored 

 much like the mature larvae, but if anything the black markings 

 oj* the body are not so pronounced. 



They grow slowly and seem able to pass mm pa rat ively long 

 periods without food, but when food is at hand appear to eat 

 almost all of the time. When full grown they measure something 

 like fifty millimeters in lenglh and five or six millimeters in 

 diameter. It is difficult from their general appearance to tell 

 which is the head, for they are pointed at both ends and tie- 

 body is not plainly different iaied into thorax and abdomen. All 

 the segments for the whole length of the insect telescope on one 

 another, so that it is difficult to give an exact length or diameter. 

 The head end may be located by the direction in which the larva 

 (awls, if in no other way. and the mouth parts will be found 

 to be peculiar and very small. The mandibles consist of two 



