100 GOUREAU ON THE 



musical organs, and sing almost as loud as the males. Pro- 

 bably the same peculiarity obtains in all the species of the 

 genus Ephippiger of Latreille, which is composed of insects 

 having short wing-cases with convex scales. The type of the 

 genus, which is the only species I have examined, is without 

 wings, and has its extremely-short elytra entirely concealed by 

 the projection of the prothorax. It would perhaps be more 

 correct to say that they have neither wings nor elytra, for these 

 latter appear to be nothing more than the musical instruments. 



The saddled grasshopper is a very noisy insect : it is gene- 

 rally seen on bushes. Its song, which nearly resembles that 

 of the other grasshoppers, may be compared to that produced 

 by passing the nail up and down a fine-toothed comb, stopping 

 a short time between each turn. This simple, regular, and 

 uniform song distinguishes this species from L. viridissima ; 

 w^hich insect moves the bow on the drum with rapidity, and 

 many times in succession ; after having done this, it makes a 

 short stop, and begins a new couplet like the first, and of the 

 same length. 



In Ephippiger the musical instruments are not symmetrical, 

 and those of the male and female are different; but in both 

 sexes it is necessary, in order to produce sounds, that the 

 right should be below and the left uppermost. 



The musical organ of the male is composed of a thin trans- 

 parent smooth membrane, of an oval form, enclosed within a 

 nervure by which it is surrounded. This membrane, situated 

 on the riglit elytron, forms the drum, the internal border of 

 which answers to the treble-string ; the bow, which is placed 

 under the left elytron, is formed of a strong transverse nervure, 

 striated like a file, and coloured brown. The border of the 

 elytron is scaly and sonorous, of a yellowish colour, and 

 covered with rugosities. The drum in the female is situated 

 on the right elytron : it is a circular cavity, of a hard consist- 

 ence, and sonorous. It is traversed breadthways by a large 

 nervure, which is striated like a file ; other smaller nervures 

 extend over the surface above and below, but these do not 

 present any remarkable appearance. The left or superior 

 elytron is rather less convex than the inferior, and somewhat 

 differs from it in consistence : it is reticulated by the same 

 number of nervures. The inner border performs the office of 

 treble-string. The exterior border of the elytron is folded 



