76 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Feb., ’08 
. Oviposition of Bibio albipennis Say. 
By ARSENE GIRAULT, New Richmond, Ohio. 
In early April, 1907, this species was very common at Olden, 
Missouri, occurring on various fruit trees in the large apple 
and peach orchards of the Ozark region. They were found 
as isolated examples clinging to the foliage, but on one occa- 
sion in the afternoon a single small swarm was observed at 
the edge of a peach orchard. ‘They were flying erratically, 
occasionally alighting on the foliage of nearby trees. The 
species was present for at least eight or ten days, and a female» 
deposited many eggs in a small box in which she was confined. 
Continued cold spells, however, interfered with their breeding 
and the eggs failed to hatch. 
On May 17, 1907, along the Ohio River, at New Richmond, 
Ohio, many single examples of this species were again met 
with on the foliage of apple, peach and other trees. ‘Three 
gravid females were captured on that date and confined during 
the afternoon of the same day in a jar containing moist soil. 
As expected, they had disappeared under the soil by the morn- 
ing of the 19th, and early in the morning of May 22d the 
egg-masses were found at the bottom of the jar under 65 mm. 
of soil, each mass partly enveloping the now dead body of the 
female. 
The eggs were deposited in a more or less regular mass, side 
by side and on their ends, the rows often over-lapping, and 
each mass averaged 2211 eggs by actual count. ‘The eggs are 
of the usual dipterous form and color, being oblong with 
both ends rounded, and with one side slightly convex, and 
the other slightly concave. ‘Their color is sordid yellowish 
white, they are translucent, opaque at the ends, their contents 
granulated, and surface apparently simple. In structure they 
are very delicate, To the naked eye they are minute and 
inconspicuous when single, and the whole mass is not wider 
than 6 or 7 millimetres. The eggs average 0.558 mm. in 
length. They die when taken from their positions in the soil 
and exposed to the atmosphere. 
I am indebted to Mr. D. W. Coquillett, U. S. National Mu- 
seum, for determination of the species. 
