12 
BULLETIN" 254, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
ment, lived for several weeks after oviposition. The females which 
overwinter copulate in the fall and may not oviposit until the follow- 
ing spring. The time between copulation and oviposition during 
other seasons is much shorter, generally about 10 days. As to the 
manner of oviposition Mr. Wildermuth noted the following: ''Her 
ovipositor was already inserted when found, and she remained so 
for 22 minutes, being first observed at 1.55 p. m. and withdrawing 
the same at 2.17 p. m. The angle was changed several times, how- 
ever, as she inserted the eggs, 7 in all, through the same slit' which 
was about 1 mm. in length. Of course there is no way of knowing 
how long she had been in the position when found," Females do 
not necessarily choose protected parts of a plant for oviposition. In 
all cases noted with grains and grasses the egg pockets were con- 
structed under the epidermis of the upper or inner side of the leaf. 
Mr. George G. Ainslie noted in Florida that egg pockets in corn are 
usually to be found in the midribs of leaves and frequently in stalks. 
In one instance he found an egg slit in a stalk just below the tassel. 
Eggs within the pocket are placed in a close-fitting row, with then 
long axes parallel. The number of eggs deposited by a female 
varies somewhat, but in general it may be said that a single female 
is capable of depositing between 40 and 50 eggs. The number to a 
pocket also varies from 2 to 12, with an average of 5, as shown in 
Table VI. 
Table VI. — Oviposition of the sharp-headed grain leaf hopper in various plants. 
Plant. 
Total number 
of egg pockets. 
Total number 
of eggs. 
Average num- 
ber of eggs in 
a pocket. 1 
Wheat 
22 
16 
26 
16 
2 
102 
85 
155 
94 
12 
4.6 
Barley 
5.3 
Oats 
6 
Alfalfa 
5.8 
Johnson grass 
6 
1 General average 5.5. 
From 18 egg pockets in corn leaves Mr. Ainslie found that the number 
of eggs per pocket varied from 4 to 20, with an average of 12. This 
is probably due to the fact that the epidermal tissue of corn leaves is 
more flexible, thus allowing the construction of larger egg pockets. 
The period of oviposition may extend over from one to three weeks. 
Oftentimes a female will construct three or four pockets in .one leaf. 
There seems to be no preference between the different grains for ovi- 
position; however, grams and other broad-leaved grasses, such as 
Johnson grass, are preferred to alfalfa. 
