354 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



like most of the neighboring Acridians, do not rise so readily 

 from the ground as they do in the middle hours of the day, and 

 after five o'clock they all go to rest for the night. The dis- 

 tribution of this species extends throughout the greater part 

 of the region east of the Rocky Mountains. The scientific 

 name of this locust is Arphia xanthoptera. 



Blatchley's Locust 



In the account of the green-legged locust, I have mentioned 

 finding Blatchley's locust. (See plate photographic illustra- 

 tion.). About the time the short-wing, green-legged locust 

 disappeared, between the first andthe twenty-second days of 

 August, this species was gradually supphiuted by Blatchley's 

 locust. By the la.st of August the latter was alone in the 

 possession of the same forest environment. The lial)itat of 

 both of these insects is shown in the landscape photograph 

 in the chapter on the Habitat of the Orthoptera. 



Like the green-legged locusts, the males of the Blatchley's 

 locust are much smaller and more active than the clumsy 

 females. When rustled, the sprightly males made .several rapid 

 leaps in succession, to effect escape, but if caught under the 

 insect net they readily hid uniier the leaves. I found these 

 insects also quite common on the edge of the woods, and it 

 was not an uncommon sight to .see them, in the last half of 

 August, .scattered in the open fields immediately skirting the 

 woods. I not infrequently .saw the females sunning themselves 

 on old pieces of wood, lying on the groimd, while the more 

 active males often .sought the l)ark of such trees as the butternut, 

 on which to sun them.sclvcs. In these sunbaths, the males 

 often associate with the lubberly locust. 



In their foraging excursions, the males more often than the 

 females climb on various shrubs, several feet above the ground, 

 where they feed on the foliage. But both sexes seem to be 

 more common on the interior bed of the forest that I have 

 described above, than elsewhere. The two figures in the upper 

 part of the plate are males; the single figure below is the female. 

 The cliaracters of tlie sj^ecies are so well shown in these figures 

 that a detailed description seems superfluous. 



