45 



dae which have been noted as specially destructive in this State, and 

 which have a general distribution over the country. Since these have 

 a general importance and sonic farther derails have been worked out 

 since the presentation of that paper, I will venture to repeat briefly the 



tacts as at present available. 



A quite important step has been gained in the determination of the 

 winter conditions of the strictly grass-feeding species, notably Belto- 

 cephalus inimicus, D. debiJi.s, and JHedrocephala molltpes. These all 



deposit eggs in autumn in the leaves or stems of grass and the i 

 remain in such situations over winter, hatching in spring. 



The suggestion made in my report for 1880 (Bulletin 22, Div. Ent, U. 

 S. Dept. Agriculture) is therefore well founded, and the burning over 

 of grassland in late fall or early spring, when the grass is dry enough to 

 burn down to near the surface of the ground, should prove a most effec- 

 tive and inexpensive method of treatment for pastures and meadows to 

 reduce the numbers of these pests. 



The life histories of the most common and abundant species may 

 uow be summarized as follows: 



Beltocephalus inimicus. — Larvae hatch from eggs deposited in fall, the 

 larva' appearing when fairly warm weather begins — ordinarily in April. 

 The larva:' is at first light colored, but after the first molt has a black 

 lateral border, a character by means of which it can be readily sepa- 

 rated from, tfefr/7 /.v. These larva' mature by the latter part of June, 

 and imagos are plentiful during the last of June and fore part of July, 

 becoming scarce again the latter part of that month, but depositing eggs 

 which hatch in July and early August, and larva:- are very plentiful 

 during early August and mature during the latter part of that month 

 and early in September. This brood deposits eggs which remain over 

 winter, though some of the earlier deposited eggs probably hatch in 

 the fall and produce a late brood of larva', some of which seem to mature, 

 and this probably accounts for the numerous individuals sometimes to 

 be seen on warm days in late autumn and early winter. These seem to 

 all perish before spring and probably without depositing any e_ 

 There is naturally a considerable amount of irregularity in the first 

 appearance of adults and the time of egg deposition, but as these 

 broods observed in the tield have been paralleled with laboratory breed- 

 ings there can remain little doubt as to the normal number and the 

 time at which the bulk of the broods appear. 



Deltocephalus debilis has practically the same life history, except that 

 the broods appear about two weeks earlier, so that some adults will be 

 found at the time the majority of inimicus are nearly grown larva. 

 This makes it- possible to use the tar pan at the time when the greatest 

 numbers may be secured, which for most seasons will be at the time 

 of the appearance of larva' of both species, in late May and early dime, 

 again in early July, and a third time, if necessary, late in July or early 

 in August. Of course applications will be made with reference to times 



