KATYDIDS INJURIOUS TO ORANGES IN CALIFORNIA. 
has been reported by Riley 1 as feeding mostly on oak leaves and 
showing a preference for depositing its eggs therein. 
life history and habits. 
The Egg. 
The egg (fig. 3) may be described as follows: Length, 4.5 mm.; 
breadth, 1.87 mm.; greatest thickness (when first deposited), 0.5 mm. 
Light gray; smooth, glistening; flat, ovoid, slightly reniform. 
The egg is completely hidden from ordinary observation in the 
plant tissues; in fact, most eggs are inserted into the edges of the older 
and rather tough leaves, between the upper and lower surfaces. They 
are at first difficult to detect, but after practice their presence may be 
recognized by certain outward indications. The edge of the leaf 
where the egg is inserted is generally slightly chewed away, and with 
a lens the sharp tip of the egg may often be seen protruding from the 
cut. When the chewed places are not in evi- 
dence, the presence of an egg may be recognized 
by a slight oval swelling in the edge of the leaf. 
More rarely from one-fourth to one-half of the 
egg may be found protruding from the edge of 
the leaf. Occasionally two eggs are deposited 
side by side, and in course of growth they may 
break through the epiderm and remain exposed 
along an entire side. A suspected leaf, when 
held to the sun, will show the complete outline 
of any eggs which may be present. Eggs are 
occasionally found inserted into the angular 
edges of tender orange stems. At times the 
female eats a hole through a leaf and deposits 
eggs in the edge of the hole. Most eggs will be found in leaves well 
concealed within the spread of the tree, being thus protected, as well 
as may be, from enemies and frost. The number deposited in a 
single leaf ranges from 1 to 10, rarely more than 10; the average great- 
est number being but 3. 
During the first warm days of spring the eggs begin to swell through 
the development of the embryo. Shortly before hatching the egg is 
almost three times as thick laterally as when first deposited, the 
swollen areas in the leaf being therefore much more easily detected 
at this time than in fall or winter. In hatching, the two lateral 
halves of the eggshell separate along the outer third of their length, 
and the nymph slowly forces its way out head foremost. Experi- 
ments with a large number of eggs showed that hatching may take 
place even in leaves which have fallen to the ground and become 
dried out, provided they are kept fairly moist by exposure to the 
Fig. 3.— Eggs of the fork- 
i tailed katydid (Scudderia 
furcata) in position in an 
orange leaf. About twice 
enlarged. (Original.) 
1 Riley, C. V. Sixth Annual Report on the Noxious, Beneficial, and other Insects of the State of Mis- 
souri, p. 164-166. Jefferson City, Mo., 1874. 
