OF WASHINGTON, VOLUMK XII, I'.Hit. 37 



iug in the thinner, shriller, more buzzing trill of U. qnadri- 

 pHiictaliis. This cricket prefers the higher, drier situations, 

 such as the cotton fields, and sings ironi July until frost. 



Both O. Uitipeinns and U. quadripunctalus have the pro- 

 longed-trilling habit, as their notes may be of several minutes 

 duration, with irregular periods of silence intervening. In 

 this respect these tree crickets are readily distinguished from 

 the intermittent trillers U. nn-cus and O. iiiigiis/ipciinis, 

 whose trills are short, abrupt, and followed by about the saint- 

 intervals of rest. 



Not until July, 1909, did I finally succeed in capturing U. 

 angnstipcnnis Fitch, although I had suspected its presence 

 here the previous year, as a record in my journal for June 29, 

 1908, will show. This reads: 



'T am interested in the trill of another tree cricket now 

 have only heard it a few nights. Notes a brief trill, ending 

 abruptly, with a short interval of silence. These crickets pre- 

 fer the foliage of the tallest oaks and have the same sort of 

 trill as O. angustipennis , which lhave heard in New England. 

 These notes are, however, very much fainter.' 1 



Specimens captured on a low hickory at the same locality in 

 1909 proved them to be O. angustipenms. This species does 

 not appear uncommon at Thompson's Mills, yet its habits of 

 frequenting high trees and the brief, faint songs would hardly 

 bring it to the attention of the ordinary observer. It sings on 

 cloudy afternoons, though its song is best heard after sunset. 

 As the shadows become deeper in the oak trees and the breezes 

 have ceased, a faint, brief, high-pitched pr-c-e-c is heard. 

 This is soon repeated by others in different keys at brief inter- 

 vals. The notes of this cricket, to me, inspire a weird pathos, 

 unlike any other insect music. The phrase ^7 -e-e- c does not sus- 

 tain the same uniform pitch, but dies away in a slightly lower 

 key, a change which is hardly noticeable to the untrained ear. 

 Each note is a mysterious, momentary wail amidst the shad- 

 owy foliage of the oaks, and seems like the voice of a com- 

 plaining spirit interrupting the serenity of the night. I am 

 very familiar with this cricket in New Kngland. There it 

 prefers low shrubs best of all the tangles of vines and sweet- 

 fern bowers in the pastures. New Kngland specimens seem 

 to sing in louder, more vehement tones than those I have heard 

 in north Georgia. Here it appears more strictly arboreal 

 than any other cricket, and most difficult of all to locate and 

 capture, since its home is amidst the foliage of tall oak trees. 

 Although individuals of this species are in the United States 



