August, ’18] PARKER: CHLOROPISCA GLABRA HABITS 371 
In the spring of 1916, 360 puparia were collected from the soil in a 
sugar-beet field and placed in small rearing cages. Some were placed in 
a green-house and others were kept out-of-doors. Those in the green¬ 
house began to emerge on May 27, the period of emergence continuing 
about a week. Those placed outdoors began to emerge on June 3 
and continued to appear in small numbers until June 14, on which 
date thirty emerged. Only two or three emerged in the cages after 
this date. On June 15 adults were abundant outdoors, five specimens 
being taken in the first six sweeps of a net over lawn grass. On this 
date a search was made for puparia in the soil, but none could be found 
that had not emerged. 
After emergence the adults seek grassy or weedy places, being es¬ 
pecially attracted to those that are slightly shaded. In collecting 
over lawn grass bigger catches are always obtained in the vicinity of 
shrubbery and trees. While the majority of the adults remain in the 
grass and weeds many of them can be seen crawling over the foliage 
of shrubbery and trees. 
Copulation 
* 
Copulation apparently does not take place until several weeks after 
the emergence of the adults. On two occasions hundreds of newly 
emerged adults were observed for several hours during which time no 
attempts at pairing were witnessed. Adults were kept under observa¬ 
tion in the insectary throughout the season and copulation was not 
noticed until the first week in July. The flies remain paired for several 
hours. 
OviPOSITION 
Successive lots of adults taken by sweeping lawn grass were intro¬ 
duced into breeding cages throughout the summer in the hope of secur¬ 
ing the egg and larval stages. Although the cages were carefully 
watched no eggs were secured until July 22. On the morning of this 
date eight eggs were found in the fine dirt in the bottom of a cage in 
which twenty-five adults had been introduced the previous day. An 
effort was immediately made to observe egg laying outdoors, but it was 
not until a week later, July 29, that the egg laying process was wit¬ 
nessed. By crawling on hands and knees it was possible to approach 
within a foot of a Chenopodium plant upon which several adults were 
crawling about. After a long period of aimless wandering one of them 
crawled down around the base of the plant, backed toward a crack in 
the soil, in which the abdomen was inserted and an egg deposited. 
She then walked to a lump of dirt upon which she rested for about 
thirty seconds when the process was repeated. Eight eggs were in 
this manner placed near the base of the plant and then six were de- 
