THE GRASSHOPPER AND ITS ALLIES 7 



note. Other members of this group are the cricket-grass- 

 hoppers (Fig. 4), wingless forms, of a brown color and 

 arched profile, which live under stones and rubbish, and 

 also the cave " crickets," which are 

 colorless and blind. 



The Phasmidae^or walking-sticks 

 and leaf-insects, display, to a mar- 

 vellous degree, a protective resem- 

 blance to the twigs and leaves among 

 which they live. The most remark- 

 able forms live in the tropics. They 

 have large wings, which strikingly 

 resemble, in form, color, and vena- 

 tion, either living or dry leaves. 

 Upon those species which resemble 

 dried leaves, blotches looking like 

 fungous patches are found. Even 

 the legs may be thin and expanded, 

 resembling foliage. In our country 

 only the twig-like, wingless forms, 

 or walking-sticks, occur. These in- 

 sects are furthermore protected by 

 changes in color, corresponding with 

 the seasonal color changes in twio-s; 



o o 



for the young walking-sticks, which 



appear in the spring, are green like 



the twigs, but in the autumn they 



become gray or brown. Figure 5 shows our only common 



northern species, Diapheromera femorata. It feeds on 



leaves, especially those of the oak, and occasionally does 



much damage to trees. 



FIG. 5. Diapheromera, walk- 

 ing-stick of northern U. S. 

 Nat. size. Copied from 

 Packard. 



appearance, spectre. 



