﻿262 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  this 
  organ 
  considerably. 
  After 
  each 
  moult 
  the 
  markings 
  of 
  the 
  dorsum 
  are 
  very 
  dis- 
  

   tinct, 
  and 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  lead 
  or 
  mouse 
  color, 
  growing 
  darker 
  with 
  each 
  moult, 
  but 
  in 
  

   the 
  intervals 
  fading 
  to 
  a 
  silver-gray. 
  The 
  larvae 
  were 
  lost 
  September 
  6, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  

   they 
  had 
  undergone 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  molts, 
  but 
  were 
  not 
  over 
  one-third 
  grown. 
  

  

  Asilid-flies. 
  — 
  We 
  are 
  not 
  aware 
  that 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  egg-laying 
  in 
  these 
  

   flies, 
  or 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  have 
  hitherto 
  been 
  recorded. 
  Mr. 
  Hub- 
  

   bard, 
  during 
  his 
  work 
  for 
  the 
  Commission, 
  succeeded 
  in 
  watching 
  the 
  

   operation 
  in 
  a 
  Florida 
  species 
  (Mallophora 
  orcina 
  Wied.), 
  and 
  has 
  made 
  

   the 
  following 
  notes 
  thereon 
  : 
  

  

  On 
  September 
  3 
  or 
  4, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Mallophora 
  came 
  flying 
  and 
  

   alighted 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  space 
  between 
  the 
  rows 
  of 
  cotton. 
  She 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  selected 
  

   this 
  spot 
  at 
  one 
  glance 
  as 
  a 
  suitable 
  place 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  deposit 
  her 
  eggs, 
  for 
  without 
  

   more 
  ado 
  she 
  applied 
  her 
  abdomen 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  began 
  working 
  it 
  

   into 
  the 
  earth 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  oscillating 
  movement. 
  In 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  minutes 
  she 
  had 
  

   buried 
  it 
  to 
  its 
  base. 
  The 
  eggs 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  rapidly 
  laid, 
  for 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  mo- 
  

   ments 
  she 
  withdrew 
  her 
  body, 
  filled 
  up 
  the 
  hole 
  with 
  her 
  abdomen, 
  aided 
  by 
  her 
  claws, 
  

   brushed 
  the 
  surface 
  carefully 
  with 
  the 
  hairy 
  tip 
  of 
  her 
  body, 
  and 
  flew 
  away. 
  The 
  en- 
  

   tire 
  proceeding 
  occupied 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  four 
  minutes, 
  and 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  deposit 
  was 
  so 
  

   carefully 
  concealed 
  that, 
  although 
  from 
  my 
  position 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  feet 
  distant 
  I 
  marked 
  

   the 
  exact 
  spot 
  with 
  my 
  eye, 
  and 
  immediately 
  after 
  drew 
  a 
  circle 
  around 
  it 
  with 
  my 
  

   knife-blade, 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  detect 
  the 
  slightest 
  disturbance 
  of 
  the 
  surface. 
  The 
  soil 
  was 
  

   a 
  tenacious 
  clayey 
  loam. 
  I 
  removed 
  in 
  one 
  lump 
  the 
  earth 
  within 
  the 
  circle 
  made 
  by 
  

   my 
  knife, 
  aud, 
  on 
  breaking 
  it 
  open, 
  found 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  eggs, 
  packed 
  in 
  a 
  not 
  very 
  close 
  

   cluster, 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  -£ 
  to 
  £ 
  of 
  an 
  inch. 
  I 
  placed 
  the 
  lump 
  of 
  earth 
  containing 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   in 
  a 
  metal 
  box, 
  where 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  young 
  larvae 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  hatching 
  a 
  week 
  later. 
  

   The 
  eggs 
  are 
  yellowish-white, 
  elongate, 
  rounded 
  at 
  the 
  ends, 
  and, 
  though 
  not 
  very 
  

   carefully 
  examined, 
  seemed 
  to 
  present 
  no 
  remarkable 
  structure, 
  but 
  resemble 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  crickets. 
  

  

  Bee-fly 
  larvae 
  (Family 
  Bombyliidce). 
  — 
  We 
  now 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  and 
  hitherto 
  unrecorded 
  life-history 
  of 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  bee-flies, 
  a 
  

   family 
  of 
  two-winged 
  flies 
  that 
  have 
  a 
  rapid 
  darting 
  flight 
  and 
  hover 
  

   over 
  flowers, 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  extract 
  nectar 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  proboscis 
  

   which 
  characterizes 
  most 
  species. 
  They 
  derive 
  the 
  popular 
  name 
  from 
  

   their 
  hairiness 
  and 
  resemblance 
  to 
  bees, 
  a 
  resemblance 
  enhanced 
  by 
  the 
  

   humming 
  which 
  they 
  produce 
  in 
  flight. 
  On 
  p. 
  305 
  of 
  our 
  First 
  Keport 
  

   we 
  figured 
  an 
  undetermined 
  egg-parasite 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountain 
  Locust, 
  

   giving 
  some 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  extensive 
  occurrence 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  egg- 
  

   pods 
  of 
  that 
  insect, 
  and 
  showing 
  that 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  Anthomyia 
  egg-para- 
  

   site 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  locust. 
  The 
  larva 
  was 
  

   somewhat 
  anomalous. 
  We 
  were 
  in 
  doubt 
  even 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  order 
  of 
  in- 
  

   sects 
  it 
  belonged, 
  placing 
  it 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  Hymenoptera, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  

   question 
  among 
  the 
  Ichneumonidce. 
  From 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  spiracles 
  on 
  

   the 
  intermediate 
  abdominal 
  joints 
  we 
  suspected, 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  publica- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  our 
  First 
  Eeport, 
  that 
  this 
  larva 
  would 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  Dipterous 
  

   rather 
  than 
  Hymenopterous. 
  

  

  From 
  such 
  poor 
  descriptions 
  and 
  figures 
  as 
  were 
  extant, 
  that 
  most 
  

   nearly 
  approached 
  it, 
  we 
  deemed 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  Anthracid, 
  and 
  were 
  sub- 
  

   sequently 
  confirmed 
  in 
  this 
  view 
  by 
  obtaining 
  in 
  October, 
  1879, 
  a 
  single 
  

   pupa 
  from 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  larvae 
  seut 
  us 
  by 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  M. 
  Dodge, 
  of 
  Glencoe, 
  Nebr. 
  

  

  