32 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Jan., 'll 



the phrase tseeeeeeeeeeeeeee. The entire song may be writ- 

 ten thus: Tip-tip-tip-tseeeeeeeeeeeeeee. The entire stridula- 

 tion is so faint as to escape the hearing. The staccato lisps, 

 tip-tip-tip, were so faint the writer could hear them only by 

 the closest attention, although the wings could be seen in mo- 

 tion at the time. 



At this season of the year, with the usual New England 

 breezes stirring the herbage violently, and accompanied by the 

 incessant chirpings of Gryllns pcnnsylvanicus and Nemobius 

 fasciatns rittatus, the attenuated lispings of Xiphidium fascia- 

 turn became quite inaudible. It seems as if the notes of the 

 New England individuals are considerably fainter than those 

 the writer has studied in Northern Georgia. Representing 

 graphically the preceding staccato lisps by dots and the pro- 

 longed phrases tseeeeeeeeeeeeeee by dashes, the successive 

 notes of an individual which the writer observed in a box 

 were thus: 



It is evident that from three to six staccato lisps preceded each 

 time the phrase tseeeeeeeeeeeeeee. This method of repre- 

 senting the notes at once shows the relative frequency of the 

 staccato lisps and the longer phrases, as these vary greatly with 

 different species, both Xiphidiums and Orchelimums. 



McNeil says of Xiphidium fasciatum : "Its song is a faint 

 echo of that of Orchelimum vulgare. with the zip-zip omitted." 

 He speaks also of its "faint little quaver." It is evident that 

 McNeil had failed to catch the staccato lisps which are always 

 present in the call notes of this tiny locust. 



Another tiny Xiphidium occurring in all situations in com- 

 pany with Xiphidium fasciatum is Xiphidium brcvipenne 

 Scudd. It is possibly less common in this locality than fascia- 

 tum. The writer could not determine its stridulations in the 

 field, so a number of males and females were placed in a paste- 

 board box together with some grass. In a few minutes a num- 

 ber were in continuous song throughout the afternoon and 

 night. The stridulations of this Xiphidium are the least audi- 



