THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 57 



vagrant chick. The brown colored specimens are much more common 

 in this species than in etisiger. 



Co?iocephalus robustus resides for the most part mid the grass on 

 sandy ground near the sea shore, though an occasional individual finds its 

 way inland. Along the sea beach they stridulate in early afternoon, 

 especially if slightly cloudy, and when approached they have a curious 

 fashion of dropping to the ground. I have often found them, on such 

 occasions, actually standing on their heads in the soft sand, leaning 

 against the grass stems which grow so close together, without in any way 

 holding on to them. Whether this position is intentional or not, I cannot 

 say, but certain it is that when looked for from above they offer the 

 smallest extent of their bodies to view and may thus escape many 

 enemies. 



I have found another Conocephalus on Staten Island, mid the cat-tails 

 that grow on the salt meadows, and a specimen sent to Mr, Samuel H. 

 Scudder was considered by that gentleman to be an undescribed species. 

 This insect keeps very close to the ground, hiding well in the vegetation, 

 and is not easily discovered. The sound produced when stridulating is 

 very faint, not louder than that made by Gryllus abbrmatus, and I was- 

 much surprised to hear such a faint song come from so large an insect- 

 I have, in consequence of this faint song, named it the " slightly musical " 

 Conocephalus. 



C. exiliscanorus. A large species, brown or green, the tegmina in 

 the brown specimens irregularly dotted with fuscous spots. Fastigium 

 long, moderately pointed, bent downward at apex, slightly flattened and 

 scabrous above with medial groove or depression, depending tooth at lower 

 base Of fastigium pointed. Pronotum scabrous. Tegmina moderately 

 broad and slightly falcate. Hind femora with numerous spines beneath, 

 the other femora with only an occasional abortive spine near tip, 



Length of body (including head), 37 m.m.; of fastigium beyond front 

 edge of eyes, 5 m.m.; of pronotal disk, 9 mm.; of tegmina, 40 ni.m,; of 

 hind tibiae, 21 m.m.; 2 ^, 



This insect is allied to C. ensiger, but readily distinguished by the 

 longer fastigium, the entire under surface of which, with the exception of 

 the basal fourth, is of a deep shining black. 



