CLOVER-LEAF WEEVIL. 11 
COPULATION. 
As stated, the beetles resume activity the last of August or the 
first of September. The record of copulation for one pair reads 
September 15, October 4, 8, 14, 17, 27, and November 7, the female 
of this pair laying 196 eggs between September 25 and November 
27. As these beetles were examined but once or twice each day 
probably only a few of the copulations were observed. Mating 
probably takes place normally during the day, for beetles in copula 
have been collected in the field only at this time. 
OVIPOSITION. 
The records of other writers give as places of oviposition the 
ground, base of plant, stems, and the inside of dead stems. Careful 
search was made in the field for eggs during the laying season, but 
only three were found, these being placed singly on dead stems. 
In the breeding cages the beetles rarely laid on the ground but in or 
on some portion of the plant. When fed alfalfa they laid the eggs 
singly in punctures in the stem. (Fig. 3.) Sometimes it seemed 
impossible for the beetle to make punctures enough to contain all 
the eggs she wished to lay, so she would fasten several in a mass 
on the stem by means of a rapidly drying secretion. When fed 
clover the females practically always laid inside the petiole or the leaf 
sheath; and if these were not present and only stems provided, the 
eggs were laid as in alfalfa. In laying the eggs in the petioles the 
female usually cut a hole with her mandibles just large enough to 
admit one egg at a time, through the side of the petiole, but in the 
case of an old matured petiole a cavity would be made into which 
the ovipositor could be thrust and from 1 to 23 eggs laid, part of 
which would be pushed up and part down the stem. Measurements 
showed that the eggs were sometimes pushed in the petiole as far as 
3J mm. above and 6 mm. below the puncture. Unless the last egg 
was left in the opening, as infrequently occurred, the opening practi- 
cally healed before the eggs hatched. In case the petiole was solid, 
the inside would be eaten out and the eggs laid as before. It was 
noticeable that petioles and their leaves never appeared to be injured 
when eggs were laid in them. The eggs were also readily laid in the 
sheath at the base of the petiole, a tiny hole being cut through its side 
and a mass of eggs deposited within, as many as 33 eggs being laid 
by one female at one time in this way. In all the experiments the 
largest number of eggs laid by one female at one time was 34, 18 to 25 
being common. The eggs are usually laid at night but some were 
recorded between 8 and 9 a. m., and it was noticeable that there was 
a marked tendency to lay during the day in the fall when the nights 
were very cold. 
