196 BRITISH ORTHOPTERA. 



provided it is not startled so much as to cause it to 

 drop amongst the lower herbage- -its best method of 

 escape. Other plants on which it has been recorded 

 as seen are : a strawberry-bed in a garden, on and 

 about young withey plants in an osier-bed, on alder 

 leaves about two or three feet from the ground, and 

 on clematis in a garden. Theobald speaks of it as a 

 pest on peach-trees. Some examples captured in the 

 Xew Forest in August 1914 fed well on mountain-ash 



o 



leaves and on rose-leaves from the garden. One 

 morning, out of three put alive in a glass-topped box 

 one had disappeared with the exception of one or two 

 small fragments. So evidently this species sometimes 

 develops cannibalistic tastes. Early in September 

 another, a female, seemed unwell, but nevertheless fed 

 rather freely on rose-leaf ; the next day it was dead. 

 The remaining specimen, a male, was then " killed ' in 

 the cyanide-bottle and sent to Gr. T. Lvle together 



/ / O 



with a Hymenopteron, which appeared to have beenbred 

 from it. Lyle wrote saying : " On its arrival here I 

 noticed that its antennas were moving, and to-day, on 

 opening the box, I was surprised to see it jump out : 

 this evening it seems quite well." The Hymenopteron 

 was a Braconid, and no doubt was bred from an Aphis 

 accidentally introduced with the rose-leaves. 



L. pundatissima has several times been noted as 

 visiting the lepidopterist's sugar, where its plump 

 little body, practical absence of organs of flight, and 

 long legs, remind one somewhat -of a spider rather 

 than a grasshopper. Bignell bred the species from 

 oak-galls (Cynips kollari) in May. In August 11)08 

 some wood-ants (Formica nifa) were seen trying to 

 carry away a specimen of this grasshopper, but I did 

 not await the result of their endeavours. 



To obtain specimens the lower branches of trees 

 may be beaten as the lepidopterist beats for larvae, or 

 the low-growing bushes and herbage may be swept 

 with a net, such as the coleopterist uses, strong enough 

 to withstand the bramble-hooks ; but, if its colours 



