67 



The country was originally thickly wooded, but has for a long time 

 been cleared up, except frequent groves, which are usually pastured. 

 The infested field was one cleared by pioneers many years ago. 



The advanced stage of development to which the insects had already 

 attained precluded the possibility of thorough study in the field, espe- 

 cially of the larval habits, and hence we were obliged to be content with 

 a few and a good supply of pupre, with which we returned home. 



After the general habit of these insects the pupa occupies a vertical 

 position in the earth, and the adult, just prior to emerging, pushes from 

 one-half to two thirds of its body above the surface. In this position a 

 large number of pupae were placed in breeding cages and the result 

 most carefully watched. The first adult, a male, appeared on May 25, 

 and did not burst from the pupa until after the latter had been protrud- 

 ing from the earth for several hours. The pupa case first bursts along 

 the head and prothorax, and the head and shoulders of the adult first 

 appear. Until enough of the body has been delivered to clear the tips 

 of the wings, egress is brought about by muscular extension and con- 

 traction of the abdominal segments. After the wings are free, bat 

 while still in its vertical position, the imago changes its tactics, and 

 begins to rock gently backward and forward, drawing up the legs 

 slightly at each backward motion, until they are finally withdrawn 

 from the case, and the now nearly emerged insect bends forward with 

 the nearly empty pupa case and crawls forth. In the case of the 

 female, loaded down with her burden of eggs, the assistance of the 

 male is often required to finally extricate her. 



On the 26th a large number of adults of both sexes emerged in the 

 breeding cage, followed on the 27th by still greater numbers, the males 

 in the majority; but hardly to the extent indicated by Mr. Beesom in 

 the following letter, received a few days later : 



Anderson, Ind., May 29, 1888. 

 Mr. F. M. Webster : According to promise I will give you a history of the worms 

 and fly. On May 26 the flies were very numerous around the fences, multiplying each 

 day until the 29th, when the field was swarming with the "gran'daddy long-legs." 

 On the same day there was some not yet hatched, hut not many, and some were j ust 

 coming out. I watched their habits, and think from appearance there was about one 

 female to one hundred males. The female is full of eggs when hatched ; has about 

 three hundred eggs of a jet black color. I saw the male helping the female out of 

 the shell. He would do this by standing upright with the female pushing back and 

 forth. In this case the shell would be half way out of the ground. As soon as he 

 would get her out he would impregnate the eggs. This is about all I can tell you 

 now. 



Yours etc., 



J. C. Beesom. 



Soon after emerging, sometimes within a few hours, the female begins 

 her work of oviposition. Three newly emerged females, placed sepa- 

 rately in glass tubes, produced respectively 297, 282, and 289 eggs. In 

 confinement, these eggs were thrown off at the rate of from 3 to 10 per 

 minute. 



