INTRODUCTION 



111 order that this synopsis may be useful io (liose who have not time nor 

 desire to devote much attention to entomology, yet for practical purposes or 

 pleasui'e wish to identify species, I give such explanations as are necessary 

 for this purpose, 



AcrididyE is the name of a flimily of insects belonging to the order Or- 

 THOPTERA. This Order embraces a large number of species, which differ 

 much in appearance and characters, and are known in this country generally 

 by the common names earwigs, cockroaches, ■ devils-horses, walking-sticks, 

 grasshoppers, and crickets. Each of these names, except the next to the last, 

 represents a distinct family of the order, thus : 



Earwigs - - ForficulidEe. 



Cockroaches - Blattidse. 



Devils-horses Mantidse. 



Walking-sticks - - * Phasmidse. 



( Acrididae. 



Grasshoppers S ^ ... 



^ ^ . ( Locustidse. 



Crickets Gryllidas. 



It will be seen that the common name, grasshojipers, embraces two fam- 

 ilies, Acrididce and Locustklm, but these are quite easily distinguished from 

 each other. Loeustidse includes those species usually found on the grass and 

 trees, which have very long thread-like antennae — generally, longer than the 

 body of the insect ; the tarsi, or feet, are four-jointed, and the female has au 

 exserted ovipositor more or less curved and sword-shaped. Most of the 

 species have wings, yet there are a number entirely wingless, which reside 

 on the ground. 



Acrididae includes those species which usually reside on the ground, and 

 are distinguished from the Locustidae by the following characters : The 

 antennae are comparatively short, never exceeding the body in length, and 

 composed of from fifteen to twenty-five joints;* the tarsi are three-jointed; the 



* The autennse of some exotic species are shorter than the head, and consist' of but 

 six to eight joints ; the statement in tlie text applies to North American species. 

 2 a 



