﻿57^ 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  from 
  the 
  District 
  of 
  Columbia, 
  from 
  Cambridge 
  Mass. 
  and 
  from 
  Nor- 
  

   way 
  Me. 
  It 
  was 
  quite 
  common 
  at 
  Saranac 
  Inn 
  in 
  Little 
  Clear 
  creek, 
  in 
  

   places 
  where 
  the 
  creek 
  flows 
  through 
  beds 
  of 
  bur 
  reed, 
  Sparganium> 
  

   intermixed 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  with 
  river 
  weed, 
  P 
  o 
  t 
  a 
  m 
  o 
  g 
  e- 
  

   t 
  o 
  n, 
  and 
  algae. 
  

  

  The 
  flies 
  sit 
  on 
  the 
  erect 
  burred 
  leaves, 
  with 
  wings 
  laid 
  flat 
  on 
  their 
  

   backs, 
  their 
  long 
  hind 
  legs 
  folded 
  together, 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  slop- 
  

   ing 
  down 
  and 
  nearly 
  touching 
  the 
  leaf 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  lifted 
  up 
  high 
  above 
  

   it, 
  in 
  quite 
  a 
  froghke 
  attitude. 
  They 
  fly 
  but 
  httle 
  — 
  that 
  little 
  rather 
  

   poorly 
  — 
  sweeping 
  betimes, 
  from 
  one 
  resting 
  place 
  to 
  another 
  near 
  by. 
  

   They 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  head 
  downward 
  more 
  often 
  than 
  otherwise; 
  I 
  

   have 
  frequently 
  seen 
  them 
  sitting 
  thus, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  

   and 
  apparently 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  stuff 
  which 
  collects 
  about 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  

   leaves 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  water 
  line. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  has 
  been 
  written 
  concerning 
  the 
  life 
  histories 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  

   few 
  American 
  species. 
  When, 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  quantitative 
  study 
  of 
  a 
  

   little 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  creek 
  border, 
  I 
  first 
  noticed 
  the 
  singular 
  pupae, 
  after 
  

   handling 
  them 
  for 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  and 
  throwing 
  a 
  number 
  aside, 
  having 
  mis- 
  

   taken 
  them 
  for 
  floating 
  seeds 
  (see 
  pi. 
  14, 
  fig. 
  4 
  and 
  6), 
  and 
  when 
  I 
  found 
  

   also 
  the 
  larvae, 
  likewise 
  floating, 
  exhibiting 
  a 
  muscid 
  anterior 
  and 
  a 
  tipu- 
  

   loid 
  posterior 
  end, 
  and 
  hook-bearing, 
  dorsal 
  prolegs 
  for 
  crawling 
  beneath 
  

   the 
  surface 
  film, 
  I 
  was 
  sure 
  I 
  had 
  found 
  something 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  read 
  

   no 
  account, 
  and 
  something 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  raise, 
  if 
  possible. 
  So 
  

   I 
  stocked 
  several 
  of 
  my 
  floating 
  cages 
  (fig. 
  i) 
  with 
  larvae 
  and 
  pupae. 
  

  

  When 
  images 
  had 
  emerged 
  and 
  had 
  been 
  determined, 
  I 
  found 
  in 
  

   Brauer's 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  described 
  transformations 
  of 
  Diptera' 
  that 
  immature 
  

   stages 
  were 
  known 
  for 
  two 
  European 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus: 
  S, 
  s 
  p 
  h 
  e 
  g 
  i 
  u 
  s 
  

   and 
  S. 
  s 
  p 
  i 
  n 
  i 
  p 
  e 
  s 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  paper 
  in 
  which 
  

   these 
  are 
  described 
  ' 
  . 
  

  

  Larva, 
  (PI. 
  14, 
  fig. 
  1,2.) 
  Length 
  full 
  grown 
  11-12 
  mm; 
  greatest 
  

   diameter 
  2 
  mm. 
  

  

  Color 
  yellowish 
  or 
  greenish 
  brown 
  of 
  varying 
  depth 
  in 
  different 
  spec- 
  

   imens, 
  with 
  tracheae 
  showmg 
  through 
  the 
  thin 
  integument 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   distinctly. 
  

  

  Body 
  cylindric, 
  strongly 
  tapering 
  anteriorly 
  from 
  the 
  second 
  abdominal 
  

   segment, 
  slightly 
  tapering 
  on 
  the 
  upturned 
  posterior 
  end 
  behind 
  the 
  sev- 
  

   enth 
  abdommal 
  segment 
  ; 
  skin 
  granular 
  ; 
  head 
  segment 
  minute, 
  blackish, 
  

   retractile 
  within 
  the 
  prothorax 
  ; 
  the 
  thoracir; 
  segments 
  strongly 
  retractile 
  

   and 
  protrusible, 
  almost 
  telescopic; 
  mesothoracic 
  twice 
  as 
  long, 
  and 
  meta- 
  

  

  1 
  Brauer, 
  F. 
  (Syst. 
  studien 
  Dipt, 
  larv.) 
  Denkschr, 
  math-nat 
  classe 
  k. 
  acad. 
  wiss. 
  Wlen. 
  1883. 
  

   47 
  :1-100, 
  5 
  plates. 
  

  

  2 
  Gerke. 
  Vehr. 
  d. 
  nat. 
  unterhalt. 
  Hamburg 
  1876. 
  3: 
  145, 
  pi. 
  3. 
  

  

  