﻿806 
  REPORT 
  UKITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  thoracic 
  segment 
  is 
  nearly 
  as 
  wide 
  as 
  long, 
  much 
  rounded 
  in 
  front; 
  

   this 
  and 
  each 
  following 
  segment 
  reddish, 
  with 
  three 
  yellowish 
  lines, 
  viz, 
  

   a 
  faint, 
  straight, 
  me<lian 
  one, 
  and 
  two 
  curved 
  lateral 
  ones; 
  these 
  lines 
  

   on 
  the 
  abdominal 
  segments 
  more 
  diffuse 
  and 
  indistinct. 
  The 
  mandibles 
  

   are 
  long, 
  sickle-shaped, 
  acute, 
  much 
  curved. 
  The 
  maxillary 
  and 
  labial 
  

   43alpi 
  project 
  considerably 
  beyond 
  the 
  curve 
  of 
  the 
  mandibles. 
  Maxillary 
  

   palpi 
  long 
  and 
  stout, 
  three-jointed; 
  the 
  two 
  terminal 
  joints 
  long 
  and 
  

   slender, 
  and 
  of 
  equal 
  length 
  ; 
  the 
  terminal 
  third 
  joint 
  projects 
  its 
  entire 
  

   length 
  beyond 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  labial 
  palpi. 
  The 
  latter 
  are 
  three 
  jointed, 
  

   the 
  third 
  joint 
  very 
  minute. 
  The 
  terminal 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  small, 
  

   one-half 
  as 
  wide 
  and 
  one-half 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  preceding 
  joint. 
  The 
  feet 
  

   are 
  well 
  developed, 
  ending 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  claw. 
  There 
  are 
  nine 
  i)airs 
  of 
  

   spiracles. 
  Length, 
  0.50 
  inch. 
  

  

  The 
  Transformations 
  of 
  Donacia 
  proxima 
  Kirby. 
  (Plate 
  LXX, 
  

  

  Figs. 
  17-19.) 
  

  

  None 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Donacia, 
  so 
  interesting 
  from 
  their 
  living 
  in 
  

   their 
  early 
  stages 
  in 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  aquatic 
  plants, 
  have 
  been 
  studied 
  

   biologically 
  as 
  yet 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  For 
  the 
  first 
  information 
  we 
  have 
  

   regarding 
  the 
  transformations 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  species 
  we 
  are 
  indebted 
  to 
  

   Mr. 
  W. 
  L. 
  Wilder, 
  of 
  Clinton, 
  Mass., 
  who 
  kindly 
  sent 
  me 
  living 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  Donacia 
  proxima, 
  found 
  June 
  23 
  in 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  

   cow-lily 
  (Nuphar 
  advena). 
  Mr. 
  Wilder 
  writes 
  me 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  May 
  23, 
  

   1876 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  send 
  you 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  an 
  insect, 
  except 
  the 
  egg, 
  which 
  I 
  

   hope 
  to 
  add 
  to 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  mud 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  larva 
  first 
  ap- 
  

   pears. 
  As 
  you 
  open 
  the 
  inclosed 
  box, 
  if 
  all 
  is 
  right, 
  you 
  will 
  find 
  the 
  

   perfect 
  insect, 
  which 
  I 
  hope 
  will 
  remain 
  alive 
  ; 
  2d, 
  you 
  will 
  find 
  a 
  cap- 
  

   sule-like 
  body 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  bit 
  of 
  lily-root; 
  examine 
  it 
  by 
  transmitted 
  

   light, 
  and 
  you 
  will 
  see 
  the 
  perfect 
  insect 
  ready 
  to 
  emerge. 
  You 
  will 
  

   next 
  come 
  to 
  another 
  capsule, 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  white 
  maggot 
  has 
  inclosed 
  it- 
  

   self 
  while 
  in 
  my 
  possession 
  ; 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  box 
  is 
  a 
  ball 
  of 
  

   mud 
  inclosing 
  a 
  maggot, 
  which 
  has 
  hatched 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  mud 
  within 
  a 
  

   few 
  days.'' 
  

  

  Afterward 
  he 
  writes, 
  June 
  19 
  : 
  "I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  

   eggs, 
  but 
  think 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  their 
  place 
  of 
  deposit 
  in 
  small 
  cavities 
  in 
  

   the 
  large 
  fleshy 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  yellow 
  lily, 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  larva 
  burrows, 
  

   and 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  feeds, 
  excavating 
  large 
  chambers 
  after 
  it 
  emerges, 
  and 
  

   almost 
  invariably 
  fixes 
  itself 
  on 
  the 
  tender 
  rootlets 
  beneath, 
  where 
  it 
  

   covers 
  itself 
  with 
  its 
  cocoon 
  and 
  remains 
  until 
  mature. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  in 
  the 
  rdot 
  and 
  with 
  no 
  outlet 
  but 
  the 
  small 
  puncture 
  where 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited. 
  I 
  could 
  have 
  sent 
  you 
  hundreds 
  of 
  the 
  pupte 
  

   just 
  ready 
  to 
  emerge." 
  

  

  Afterward 
  the 
  cocoons 
  containing 
  the 
  beetles 
  were 
  found 
  October 
  24, 
  

   1876, 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  cow-lily 
  {Nuphar 
  advena), 
  in 
  a 
  pond 
  at 
  

   Salem, 
  Mass., 
  and 
  presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  B. 
  Buttrick 
  to 
  the 
  museum 
  of 
  the 
  

   Peabody 
  Academy 
  of 
  Science, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  probably 
  have 
  nearly 
  the 
  entire 
  

   history 
  of 
  the 
  insect. 
  The 
  females 
  probably 
  winter 
  over 
  in 
  the 
  dense, 
  

   tough, 
  parchment-like 
  brown 
  oval 
  cocoons 
  (Plate 
  LXX, 
  Fig. 
  17, 
  natural 
  

   size), 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  position 
  that 
  the 
  larvae 
  on 
  

   hatching 
  bore 
  into 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  lily; 
  the 
  larvoe, 
  becoming 
  fully 
  de- 
  

   veloped 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  June, 
  transform 
  into 
  chrysalides, 
  previously 
  spin- 
  

   ning 
  a 
  cocoon 
  much 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  saw-flies, 
  and 
  assuming 
  the 
  beetle 
  

   condition 
  in 
  the 
  autumn. 
  

  

  The 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  (Plate 
  LXX, 
  Fig. 
  18, 
  enlarged, 
  seen 
  from 
  beneath) 
  

   IS 
  white, 
  thick, 
  fleshy, 
  cylindrical. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  small, 
  reddish, 
  one- 
  

  

  