OF WASHINGTON, VOLTMK XI, 1909, 41 



Feilner.* When more is known of the mating habits of Or- 

 thoptera this will very likely be found to be quite common, at 

 least in the Locustid;e. It has now been noted in .Inahrns, 

 Peranabrns, Scitdderia,^ and Idiathron, and I have seen much 

 a sac in a cabinet specimen of a species of Orophus. 



[dlarthron atrispinns is an important enemy to the coffee 

 plant according to the letter mentioned above. Last year was 

 the first time the writer noted damage done by this insect. Its 

 ravages probably commenced in late August or early Septem- 

 ber. During the day the insects hide in the dry or damp sheaths 

 of the banana plant and probably in other lurking places of 

 like nature. In the Museum Gardens at San Jose the two or 

 three coffee trees had all their leaves pierced and an immense 

 number of their berries peeled and sometimes entirely hollowed, 

 out by the bites of the insects. The crickets hide here during 

 the day in the petiole grooves of a large perfoliate-leaved tree 

 or under old manure sacks spread on the ground, but in coffee 

 plantations their chief refuge is probably the banana. It is 

 very hard, in fact almost impossible, to discover one of the 

 insects in a coffee tree during the day, which fact delayed for 

 some time the discovery of the real culprit. The nature of 

 the injury indicated some strong-jawed depredator, and as 

 this insect was very plentiful in the neighborhood it was sus- 

 pected. Specimens placed in a jar with intact leaves and 

 berries of the coffee tree established their guilt beyond question 

 by producing exactly the same injuries as found on trees in 

 the open. 



*Rept. Smiths. Inst., 1864, p. 429-430 (1865). 

 fEnt. News, vol. xix, p. 45 (1908). 



