KATYDIDS INJUBIOUS TO ORANGES IN CALIFORNIA. 



has been reported by Riley 1 as feeding mostly on oak leaves and 

 showing a preference for depositing its eggs therein. 



life history and habits. 



The Egg. 



The egg (fig. 3) may be described as follows: Length, 4.5 mm.; 

 breadth, 1.87 mm.; greatest thickness (when first deposited), 0.5 mm. 

 Light gray; smooth, glistening; flat, ovoid, slightly reniform. 



.The egg is completely hidden from ordinary observation in the 

 plant tissues ; in fact, most eggs are inserted into the edges of the older 

 and rather tough leaves, between the upper and lower surfaces. They 

 are at first difficult to detect, but after practice their presence may be 

 recognized by certain outward indications. The edge of the leaf 

 where the egg is inserted is generally slightly chewed away, and with 

 a lens the sharp tip of the egg may often be seen protruding from the 

 cut. When the chewed places are not in evi- 

 dence, the presence of an egg may be recognized 

 by a slight oval swelling in the edge of the leaf. 

 More rarely from one-fourth to one-half of the 

 egg may be found protruding from the edge of 

 the leaf. Occasionally two eggs are deposited 

 side by side, and in course of growth they may 

 break through the epiderm and remain exposed 

 along an entire side. A suspected leaf, when 

 held to the sun, will show the complete outline 

 of any eggs which may be present. Eggs are 

 occasionally found inserted into the angular 

 edges of tender orange stems. At times the 

 female eats a hole through a leaf and deposits 

 eggs in the edge of the hole. Most eggs will be found in leaves well 

 concealed within the spread of the tree, being thus protected, as well 

 as may be, from enemies and frost. The number deposited in a 

 single leaf ranges from 1 to 10, rarely more than 10; the average great- 

 est number being but .'>. 



1 hiring the first warm days of spring the eggs begin to swell through 

 the development of the embryo. Shortly before hatching the egg is 

 almosl three times as thick laterally as when first deposited, the 

 swollen areas in the leaf being therefore, much more easily detected 

 at this time than in fall or winter. In hatching, the two lateral 

 halves of the eggshell separate, along the outer third of their length, 



and the nymph -lowly forces its way out head foremost,. Experi- 

 ments with a large number of eggs showed that hatching may lake 

 place even in leaves which bave fallen to the ground and become 



dried out, provided they are kept fairly moist- by exposure to the 



Fig. 3.— Eggs of the fork- 

 tailed katydid (Scuddcria 

 furcata) in position in an 

 orange leaf. About twice 

 enlarged. (Original.) 



1 i:ii'-y, C. v. Sixth Annual Repoi i ontbeNoxlon Beneficial, and other bisects of the State ol Mis- 

 .oiirj, p. i'.i 166. I' ffa on l ' < , ih7-i. 



