1936] 
Nearctic Mecoptera 
63 
ture of —12° F. the night before, only 3 specimens (all 
females) were found on the snow and one of these was dead. 
But apparently falling snow or rain does not interfere with 
the activities of these insects; on December 23, 1935, Mr. 
Goslin collected 19 specimens during the course of a light 
snow fall, and again on January 9th he secured 7 specimens 
during a light rain. 
Several hundred living specimens of brumalis were sent 
to me by Mr. Goslin, at my request, in the hope that it would 
prove not too difficult to rear them. The insects lived for 
several weeks, some for more than a month, and a great 
many eggs were secured ; but the eggs failed to hatch. The 
antics of the male in bringing about copulation are most 
amusing. After approaching to within about half an inch 
of a female, he suddenly leaps in the air and onto the back 
of the female, turning himself over in the process of the 
jump so that he alights on his own back. Even during the 
process of landing he grasps her with his hook-like wings 
around the thorax or abdomen, and then seizes the end of 
her abdomen with his genital forceps. By a sudden twist 
he upsets the balance of the female, struggles to his feet, 
and runs around actively with the female held upside-down 
on his own back. I do not believe that copulation actually 
begins until the male has righted himself. It usually con- 
tinues for several hours, and I have observed some pairs 
remain in coitu for as much as 12 hours. 
Borens nivoriundus Fitch 
Amer. Journ. Agric., 5 :277, 1847. 
Twenty-five specimens of this species were also collected 
by Mr. Goslin during December, January and February. 
As in other parts of its range, nivoriundus is not nearly so 
abundant as brumalis. Several living specimens were sent 
to me by Mr. Goslin, and their behavior during courtship 
and mating was similar to that of the preceding species. 
Boreus intermedins Lloyd 
Pan. Pacific Ent., 10 :119-120, 1934. 
Three additional specimens (1 $ , 2 $ ) of this little-known 
species have been sent to me by Mr. Lloyd ; they were col- 
lected at McCarthy, Alaska, April 29, 1935. 
