1913] 
Burrill: Lake Michigan Swarms of Chironomids 
69 
interesting account of catching midges in a tent trap placed over 
Beaver Meadow Brook, Old Forge, New York, from July 16 to 
August 15, 1905, and relates how spiders interfered with his col- 
lecting by getting into the tent first and catching the midges 
towards the apex, before the entomologists could do their collect- 
ing. His data (p. 169) shows that during this period of one month 
more midges emerged the first half of August than the last half of 
July. My notes show for a period twice as long (May 7-July 2; 
observations were continued all through July but were not rec- 
orded properly) that most midges emerged the first half of June 
rather than the last half, that more emerged in this fortnight 
than during the whole of July or the whole of May. But this 
conclusion does not apply to August observations owing to my 
absence in mid-August on a horseback expedition about Lake 
Winnebago where in lieu of observations for Lake Michigan, I 
recorded by far the greatest midge swarms ever measured, the 
swarms being contiguous for over ten miles. This is dwelt on at 
length, with notes on sound and lack of mating, in the paper 
already referred to, “ Economic and Biologic Notes on the Giant 
Midge, ( Chironomus plumosus)” Bull. Wisconsin Natural History 
Society for 1912 (vol. 10, nos. 3M, pp. 124-163 with bibl. pp. 
150-163). For family identifications, I acknowledge the co-opera- 
tion of the Entomology curators of the Milwaukee Public Museum 
Dr. S. Graenicher and R. A. Muttkowski. To Prof. J. G. Sanders, 
State Entomologist, I am greatly indebted for careful revision. 
Entomologist’s Office 
Madison, Wis. 
August 26, 1913 
Actual date of issue December 29, 1913 
