342 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



the grass or other herbage in the first attempt to spring into 

 the air. At such times I have seen individuals make several 

 attempts at flights, and failing, would then remain quietly 

 on the ground. The bare ground, free from surrounding 

 herbage, is for this reason more often chosen by the locust. 



In flight, the female shows the greatest vigor, as she often 

 flies from thirty to fifty feet without stopping. The males, 

 on the other hand, sometimes exhibit a pretty, playful per- 

 formance, seemingly in an attempt at display before the females. 

 On these occasions he flies into the air from two to four feet 

 above the ground. Then, hovering like a butterfly, he flutters 

 his wings with remarkable rapidity, and finally, tired by his 

 efforts, his wing strokes become appreciably slower, until he 

 finally falls back to the ground. I have often seen the male 

 walking on an old board sidewalk, as well as on the bare ground, 

 looking for the female. When within eight or ten inches of 

 her, he shows great emotion, by moving his hind femora up 

 and down, and in this way producing stridulation to attract 

 her attention. Sometimes a number of males attend the same 

 female, each one trying to outdo the otiicrs in his efforts at 

 Orthopteran courtship. 



I especially recall some observations made August fifth, in 

 a sun-e.xposed waste of ground. Here, almost directly in my 

 path, I was presented with some queer performances of the 

 Carolina locust. More like a large moth or butterfly than a 

 grasshopper, a male individual started from the sandy ground, 

 mounting into the air to a height of about three feet. There 

 he balanced himself in mid-air for a period of several seconds. 

 At first his wings vibrated very rapidly, but toward the end of 

 the flight they became slower, and then occurred the final drop 

 to the ground as previously mentioned. While in the air, 

 toward the last, I noticed the dark wings with their light 

 border, and even the rusty hue of the tegmina, or first pair of 

 wings. After this individual dropped to the ground, I found, on 

 careful approach, that two other males were close by. All 

 three were then having an active greeting, each one taking part 

 in stridulating, the queer-looking trio rubbing their thighs up 

 and down against the wing-covers. This enjoyable meeting, 

 which lasted for the greater part of a minute, had the effect of 



