372 
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 11 
posited in a crevice about two inches away from the plant. Several 
other females were noticed ovipositing on this date and the process was 
observed a number of times during the summer. The flies are easily 
disturbed and much care and patience must be exercised in order to 
observe oviposition. 
The eggs are deposited around the base of sugar-beet plants and 
Chenopodium album. Occasionally an egg is found attached to the 
stem of the plant, but the great majority are deposited in crevices in 
the soil. Chenopodium occurs most frequently as isolated plants 
growing in soil that has been recently stirred or cultivated. Thus in 
reaching both the sugar-beets and Chenopodium the flies leave the 
grassy areas where they have been since spring and often fly consider¬ 
able distances to deposit their eggs. 
Ability of Females to Select Plants Infested with Root Lice 
The females in selecting plants around which to deposit eggs show 
remarkable ability in picking out the plants which are infested with 
root lice. Two Chenopodium plants of the same size and appearance 
and standing about two feet apart were examined for eggs. Around 
the base of one plant only one C. glabra egg was found while from be¬ 
neath the other 224 eggs were collected. When the latter plant was 
dug up an unusually heavy infestation of root lice was found while the 
roots of the first plant had no lice upon them. To determine whether 
C. glabra females could consistently pick out the plants infested with 
root lice a number of Chenopodium plants were examined with results 
as shown in the following table: 
Table I. Showing that Chloropisca glabra Eggs Are Deposited in Numbers only upon 
Plants Which Are Infested with Root Lice 
Plant 
No. of 
No. of 
Plant 
No. of 
No. of 
number 
C. glabra 
root lice 
number 
C. glabra 
root lice 
eggs 
• 
eggs 
1 
2 
None 
17 
10 
Many 
2 
1 
None 
18 
50 
Very many 
3 
1 
None 
19 
0 
None 
4 
0 
None 
20 
0 
None 
5 
1 
None 
21 
0 
None 
6 
0 
None 
22 
16 
Many 
7 
39 
Many- 
23 
1 
None 
8 
3 
Few 
24 
2 
None 
9 
1 
None 
25 
73 
Very many 
10 
224 
Very many 
26 
36 
Many 
11 
5 
Many 
27 
0 
None 
12 
0 
None 
28 
1 
Many 
13 
0 
None 
29 
0 
None 
14 
0 
None 
30 
17 
Many 
15 
0 
None 
31 
61 
Very many 
16 
3 
Ft»w 
32 
0 
None 
