ORTHOPTERA 



5i 



Fig. 81. — Wing 

 cover of male mead 

 ow grasshopper. 



82. — Wing- 

 of female 

 meadow grasshopper. 



together they are made to vibrate, and thus produce the sound. Figure 

 81 represents a wing-cover of the male of a common meadow grasshop- 

 per, and Figure 82 that of a female of the 

 same species. 



In order to facilitate the study of this 

 family the more common representatives can 

 be arranged in four groups; the katydids, 

 the meadow grasshoppers, the cricket-like 

 grasshoppers, and the shield-backed grass- 

 hoppers. 



THE KATYDIDS 



The chances are that he who lies awake 

 of a midsummer night must listen whether 

 he wishes to do so or not, to an oft-repeated, FlG 

 rasping song that says, "Katy did, Katy cover 

 did ; she did, she didn't," over and over again 

 There is no use of wondering what Katy did or didn't do, for no mortal 



will ever know. If, when the dawn comes, 

 the listener has eyes sharp enough to discern 

 one of these singers among the leaves of some 

 neighboring tree, never a note of explana- 

 tion will he get. The beautiful, finely- 

 veined wings folded close over the body 

 keep the secret hidden, and the long an- 

 tennae, looking like threads of living silk, 

 will wave airily above the droll, green eyes 

 as much as to say, "Wouldn't you like to 

 know?" The katydids live among the 

 branches of trees and the song made by 

 the male is heard at night and occasion- 

 ally on dark cloudy days. The true 

 northern katydid, Pterophylla camellifdlia, 

 is the species commonly known as the 

 "Katydid" owing to its characteristic 

 strident call. It is found throughout the 

 United States east of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains; but in the North it lives in col- 

 onies which occupy rather restricted areas 



(Fig- 83). 



There are several species of false katy- 

 dids with broad leaf-like wings that live 

 in trees and look much like the real katy- 

 did. One of these is known as the an- 

 gular-winged katydid, Microcentrum 

 rhomb if olium. It deposits its large ellip- 

 tical eggs in rows along the edge of a leaf or 

 on a small branch (Fig. 84). 

 There is another species of angular-winged katydid, Microcentrum 

 retinerve, which is somewhat smaller than the preceding but closely re- 

 sembles it in form and appearance. 



Fig. 83. — Pterophylla 

 (After Harris.) 



camellifolia. 



