222 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.52. 



Abundant, the dominant grasshopper east of the mountains, but 

 apparently quite scarce in the higher Appalacliians. Occurs nearly 

 everywhere in open country, but shows a strong tendency to congre- 

 gate in farm lands on sandy soils, where it frequently swarms in the 

 grassy fields, fence borders, old stubble fields, timothy and clover 

 pastures, and areas of crab and Bermuda grasses. In the Andropogon 

 areas of old neglected fields and pastures it also occurs, but usually 

 in much smaller numbers than in the tenderer grasses of the culti- 

 vated districts. 



Observations at Charlottesville and Tappahannock indicate the 

 occurrence of two breeds of this species during a single season. From 

 the spring brood of nymphs, adults appear about June 1 and continue 

 in large number until the middle or end of July, when a decided de- 

 cline in numbers takes place. About the middle of August an increase 

 is noticeable. That a new generation is maturing at this time is in- 

 dicated by the finding of soft bodied adults which had evidently just 

 completed the final molt. These adults continue to increase and in 

 early autumn they are even more abundant than in early summer. 

 Mating was observed as late as early October. It is doubtless this 

 second brood of adults that la3^s the eggs tiding the species over winter. 



MELANOPLUS FEMUR-RUBRUM (De Geer). 



Norfolk, September 17; Portsmouth, October 3; Churchland, 

 September 15, November 4; Deanes, September 26; Gilmerton, 

 October 1; Deep Creek, October 1; Virginia Beach, September 20; 

 Cape Henry, September 20, 27; Franklin, September 18, November 

 5; Tappahannock, August 21 to October 11; Wares Wharf, October 

 3; Naylors, September 17; Sharps, October 13; Millenbeck, Sep- 

 tember 27; Ottoman, September 27. 



Fredericksburg, September 5; Louisa, October 26; Charlottes- 

 ville, December 5, 1913 (1 male, 5 females), September 10 to Octo- 

 ber 31, 1914, October 31 to November 25, 1915. 



Monterey, August 16 to September 1; Meadowdale, August 19; 

 Trimble, August 15, September 2; Bolar, August 15, September 3; 

 Hot Springs, September 5-7. 



The dominant grasshopper of the Appalachian province, ab5unding 

 everywhere in the timothy and bluegrass pastures of the intermon- 

 tane valleys and on the open, grassy slopes of the mountains, less 

 frequent in open woodland or clearings. In the Piedmont region and 

 Coastal Plain this species is much less conspicuous than ailanis and is 

 largely limited to more humid situations, such as marsh borders, 

 drainage ditches, gulleys, open "branches," and other places where 

 the vegetation is of a moisture-loving type. It is evidently more 

 exacting than atlantis in its moisture requirements. 



