Srr.FAMILY VI. OECAXTII1N.K. 717 



leaves, and we have never found more than one egg on each side of a bud. 

 However, the egg never extends through the woody layer into the pith, as 

 is the case with nigricornis." 



>Yhatever injury 0. it i mix may do in ovipositing is, in part at 

 least, offset by its carnivorous propensities, as the young which 

 hatch in May or early June, feed, until they reach maturity, large- 

 ly upon the various species of aphids or plant lice which infest 

 the shrubbery they frequent. Walsh (1867, 54) was the first en- 

 tomologist to call attention to this carnivorous habit, but it 

 stems little attention was given to the matter until Murtfeldt 

 (1889) gave an interesting account of some experiments and ob- 

 servations concerning this habit from which the following extract 

 is taken : 



"Some leaves of plum infested with a delicate species of yellow aphis 

 were put into a jar with the young of Oecanthus niveus, but attracted no 

 immediate attention. As twilight deepened, however^ the crickets awak- 

 ened to greater activity. By holding the jar against the light of the win- 

 dow, or bringing it suddenly into the lamplight, the little nocturnal hunters 

 might be seen hurrying with a furtive, darting movement, over the leaves 

 and stems, the head bent clown, the antennae stretched forward, and every 

 sense apparently on the alert. Then the aphids provided for their food 

 would be caught up one after another with eagerness and devoured with 

 violent action of the mouth parts, the antennas meanwhile playing up and 

 down in evident expression of satisfaction. Unless I had provided very 

 liberally not an aphis would be found in the jar the next morning and the 

 sluggish crickets would have every appearance of plethora." 



33G. OKCAXTHUS AXGUSTIPENNIS Fitch, 1856, 413. Narrow-winged Tree 

 Cricket. 



Form very slender. Pale greenish-white; vertex and base of antennae 

 often yellowish; each of the first two basal joints of antenna? with a black 

 mark, that on the first one elongate and hooked inward at base; the one on 

 second joint oblong, slightly curved; tegmina of male translucent with a 

 greenish tinge. Head smaller and pronotum slightly longer and narrower 

 in front than in niveus. Tegmina of male narrower than in any other 

 species except qiiaclripunctatus. Wings slightly surpassing tegmina in 

 length. Length of body, $, 1214, $, 11.513; of pronotum, 2.8; of teg- 

 mina, $, 1012, $, 12; of wings, 13.5; of hind femora, 8.5; of ovipositor, 

 5.5 mm. 



The narrow-winged tree cricket does not appear to be a com- 

 mon insect in Indiana, having so far been taken only in Vigo, Put- 

 nam, Lawrence, Floyd and Crawford counties. It frequents the 

 borders of groves and especially ironweeds in open pastures and 

 roaches maturity about July 15. 



About Dunedin, Fla. I have taken adults of <i n gust i pen nix by 

 beating and sweeping in October, December, January and March, 

 and it has been sent in as taken at porch light in May and June. 



