GRASSHOPPERS IN RELATION TO PLANT ASSOCIATIONS. 145 



sylvanicum, which are close together and usually less than six 

 inches high, and of the taller and less numerous plants of the 

 bracken fern, Pteris aquilina. Other plants are the bush honey- 

 suckle, Diervilla lonicera, and several grasses and composites. 

 Near the lake beach patches of bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, 

 and of dwarf juniper, Jimiperus horizontalis, form small heaths. 

 Over all the open aspen growth, a considerable proportion of 

 bare sandy soil is exposed, in the interspaces between plants. 

 Dead leaves, partly decayed and partly burned stumps and 

 logs, litter the surface. There are a number of bare roadways. 



The tree growth is irregular, being entirely absent In frequent 

 local areas which vary in size from small unshaded patches be- 

 tween trees to areas thirty meters in diameter. In such places 

 there are indications that the undergrowth is practically inde- 

 pendent of the trees. In the older tree growths the hardwood 

 species have assumed control, indicating development into hard- 

 wood forest. Ground conditions are more like those of closed 

 forest. 



In the treeless parts of the association, in the bracken-blue- 

 berry growth, Melanoplus angustipennis is the common grass- 

 hopper species. Melanoplus atlanis and Camnula pelludica are 

 common, and M. bivittatus occasional, along roadways. M. 

 luridus is found sparingly in scattered aspen growths. Scirtetica 

 marmorata occurs usually on or near the lichen-covered surfaces. 

 M. fasciatus is more often found in the closed forest. On the 

 sandy roads, and sparingly in the sandy interspaces between the 

 plants, are found M. atlanis, M. angustipennis, Dissosteira 

 Carolina, Spharagemon bolli, Circotettix verruculatus , Arphia pseu- 

 donietana, Hippiscus tuberculatus. 



Associations of the Eastern Deciduous Forest Province. 



The most highly developed form of deciduous forest vegetation 

 is the beech-maple or beech forest, well represented in the region. 

 This develops, on dry soil, through herbaceous, thicket, and 

 xerophytic oak stages, usually, followed by mesophytic red oak 

 and maple stages. The following associations were studied in 

 the Douglas Lake region: 



Herbaceous Associations (Gates, '13: 75). The common fire- 

 weed, Epilobium angustifolium, is the first plant to establish itself 



