380 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



during August. It is found more often on the main central 

 stem, from eighteen inches to two and a half feet from the top, 

 attracted there doubtless for the purpose of courtship and laying 

 eggs. Here it exhibits exquisite protective resemblance. The 

 body of the insect is colored pale green, but the legs, antennae, 

 maxillary palpi, head, thorax, cerci, ovipositor, and the under 

 aspect of the thorax and abdomen are very dark, thoiigli the 

 color is somewhat variable. It is a delicate soft-bodied insect 

 with exceptionally long antennae. One of its favorite habits 

 is to grasp the green main stem of its chosen plant with its 

 body resting close to the stem, head downwards. When dis- 

 turbed, its first impulse usually is to jump to the ground, 

 where its black legs, blending with the background of earth, 

 are invisible, while the green top of the body now appears 

 from above like a small blade of grass. If the insect is again 

 molested while on the ground, it jumjis quickly here and there 

 in a spasmodic manner, then catcliiiig hold of some herbage, 

 climbs upon it. After waiting sufficiently long for danger to 

 pass, the cricket eventually springs from one small plant to 

 another until it again finds the main stem of the horseweed. 

 It then climbs up to take a i)osition similar to that which it 

 had formerly occupied. One may often find it at rest, with its 

 legs extended nearly straight out behind the body; or it may 

 appear on the flowers feeding. 



After a period of dry weather in August the older weeds, 

 often selected as a residence by the crickets, ])resent a series 

 •of dead, brownish leaves l)el()w, that extends from the ground 

 a third or more the length of tiie plants upward. Because of 

 the existence of these dead leaves and shadows, the darker 

 parts as well as the light coloring of these insects serve as 

 excellent protection. Moreover, as they rest on the main stem 

 among the maze of leaves, they enjoy complete imnuniity from 

 their grosser enemies. 



Later in the season the habits undergo some modification 

 incident to the change in the vegetation. For instance, on 

 Sej)tember thirtieth, I visited the horseweed patch which 

 furnished the theme of the above remarks, to find that many 

 of the weeds, while still standing, had turned brown and were 

 dead. There were very few crickets to be found at the point 



