June, ’20] 
SATTERTHWAIT: HABITS OF CALENDRA PERTINAX 
283 
4 male and 2 female C. pertinax adults, all dead, and one of each sex 
imperfect. From this collection it appears that all pupation takes 
place in the stalks, at least in cat-tails constantly in water, the larval 
excavations terminating at varying distances above the crown, as if 
the insect instinctively sought for a pupation place above the normal 
water level. Of these 25 excavations, 20 or 21 appeared completed, 
judging by evidences of the transformation from the larva to the pupa 
in all but 4 or 5. These excavations ranged above the crown as follows: 
1 at 2 inches, with the adult specimen dead in a position indicating 
effort on its part to escape by cutting out of the plant; 5, between 3 
and 4 inches; 7, between 4 and 5 inches; 3, between 5 and 6 inches; 4, 
between 6 and 7 inches; 2, between 7 and 8 inches; 1, at 8f inches; 1, 
at 11 \ inches; 1, height not noted. Those with excavations reaching 
more than 7 inches above the crown all escaped successfully. These 
numerous dead specimens probably were drowned by the unusually 
high water catching them while they were immature, those dying in the 
adult stage being weakened by submergence while yet pupae. During 
summers, the water drains away from this area and the cat-tails stand 
on moist soil. 
On June 29, Mr. Bell collected nine stalks of cat-tail from this same 
swamp. They were received for study July 3. On this date 14 eggs 
and 18 larvae were found and 3 feeding punctures of adults were ob¬ 
served. When the collection was made, June 29, the water had disap¬ 
peared, though the soil remained soft and spongy. 
The next collection was made in the same area August 10, at which 
time there was about 8 inches of water present, the result of heavy 
rains of the preceding three weeks. This collection was received on 
the 13th and examined on the 13th and 14th. There were 16 stalks. 
The living specimens found were 6 eggs, 14 larvae and 4 pupae, and the 
dead specimens were 2 eggs and 11 larvae. There were several larvae 
in a soft, white condition, strongly indicating that these were drowned, 
leading to the conclusion that the flooding of the cat-tails had been the 
chief cause of mortality. Six male and 5 female C. pertinax adults 
were successfully reared from this collection, 1 being adult October 6 
from an egg laid prior to the collection of the stalks on August 10. 
The other adults issued on August 19 and September 6 and on inter¬ 
vening dates. 
The next collection was made September 6, at the same place as 
previously, with the water level just where it was August 10,—almost 
knee-deep. He observed that almost every cat-tail stalk in this local¬ 
ity contained larvae, with some stalks so full of them that there was 
only a thin shell left, and they broke off at the root when the attempt 
was made to pull them up. This collection was received September 12 
