712 FAMILY VIII. GRYLLID.E. THE CRICKETS. 



the opposite wing. In all of many specimens examined the right wing 

 laps over the left. The latter has a fine thickened ridge along the inner 

 edge just opposite the file. This scrapes against the teeth of the file on 

 the right wing and thus produces the sound vibrations. The underside of 

 the left wing has a file practically identical to the other but this is ap- 

 parently seldom, if ever, used." 



The eggs of the white tree crickets are deposited either singly 

 and irregularly in the bark of trees or shrubs, or singly but 

 usually in more or less regular rows in the pith of twigs, berry 

 canes, grape vines and weed stems. By these habits of oviposition 

 they often cause much damage to the growing plants, which is in 

 part offset by their habits of feeding upon aphids and perhaps the 

 young of other injurious insects. 



In addition to the works above cited treating especially of 

 the mating habits the principal literature treating of our North 

 American species of the subfamily is as follows: Fitch, 1856; 

 Saussure, 1874, 456464, 1878, 591597 ; Riley, 1881 ; Blatchley, 

 1903; Forbes, 1905; Fulton, 1915; R. & H., 1916. Kirby (llMHi, <>2) 

 recognized 34 genera of Oecanthinse. Of these but two are repre- 

 sented in the eastern United States. 



KEY TO EASTERN GENERA OF CECANTHIN^. 



a. Hind tibiae armed above with both spines and small teeth; base of tho- 

 rax not suddenly dilated; wings but little if any longer than 

 tegmina. I. OECANTHUS. 



act. Hind tibise not armed above and with only two very small spurs each 

 side at apex; base of thorax suddenly strongly dilated to form a 

 distinct border; wings nearly twice as long as tegmina. 



II. NEOXABEA. 



I. OECAXTHUS Serville, 1831, 134. (Gr., "to inhabit" + "flower.") 



The principal characters of the genus are given under the sub- 

 family heading and in the above key. In addition they have the 

 fourth segment of maxillary palpi nearly as long as third; teg- 

 mina of female regularly reticulated with the oblique longitudinal 

 vein plainly visible; tegmina of male with humeral angle distinct 

 and niediastinal vein weakly bowed ; hind tarsi imperfectly 4- 

 jointed, the suture between the third and fourth segments visible, 

 but the fourth one immovable; the first or basal segment much 

 longer than the others united, and armed each side with a single 

 apical spur; anal cerci straight, slender, tapering, bristly, nearly 

 as long as abdomen. 



The name OecantJins, signifying "I dwell in the flowers,'' does 

 not truly represent the habits of the insects as they are more 

 often found upon the twigs and foliage than in the flowers them- 



