OETHOPTERA OF INDIANA. 449 



pletely utilized that scarcely a twig escaped being deposited into. 

 Other species of willow, cottonwood, elm, maple, box elder, cherry, 

 dog-wood, black locust, sycamore, ash, hoiiey-locust, and in fact al- 

 most all kinds of trees, are sometimes attacked. Elder is a great 

 favorite, too. After these come weeds, as the artichoke, sunflower, 

 golden-rod, ambrosia, and many others. All of these latter being 

 annuals, or dying to the ground each year, whether attacked by the 

 cricket or not, the conclusion is plain. All the cricket requires is a 

 receptacle for her eggs. It matters but little whether a dead or a 

 living plant furnishes that condition. 



"In the Case of the honey locust, the thorns as a rule receive the 

 eggs instead of the twigs, and no apparent damage is done. The 

 mature crickets are also said to be met with abundantly upon oaks, 

 hickories, and elms during the egg-laying season, and evidently use 

 these also occasionally for the deposition of their eggs, although I 

 have never obtained or noticed the eggs in the twigs of these trees. 



"While woody plants are known to be very commonly used as re- 

 ceptacles for the eggs of this cricket, it is by far the most numerous 

 upon such weeds as those mentioned above during its entire career; 

 but more particularly so during its latter days when looking after 

 the perpetuation of its kind." 



Niveus, however, in part, if not wholly, offsets its injurious habit 

 by its carnivorous propensities, as the young which hatch in May or 

 early June, feed, until they reach maturity, upon the various species 

 of aphids or plant liCe which infest the shrubbery they frequent. 

 Mr. B. D. Walsh, he. cit., was the first entomologist to call attention 

 to this carnivorous habit, but it seems little attention was given to 

 the matter. Eecently, however, it has again attracted notice, and in 

 Insect Life for November, 1891, Miss Mary E, Murtfeldt, of St. 

 Louis, Missouri, gave an interesting account of some experiments 

 and observations concerning this habit from which the following 

 extract is taken: "Some leaves of plum infested with a delicate 

 species of yellow aphis were put into a jar with the young of (Ecan- 

 thus niveus, but attracted no immediate attention. As twilight deep- 

 ened, however, the crickets awakened to greater activity. By hold- 

 ing the jar against the light of the window, or bringing it suddenly 

 into the lamplight, the little nocturnal hunters might be seen hurry- 

 ing with a furtive, darting movement, over the leaves and stems, 

 the head bent down, the antennae stretched forward, and every sense 

 apparently on the alert. Then the aphids provided for their food 

 would be caught up one after another with eagerness and devoured 

 with violent action of the mouth parts, the antennae meanwhile play- 



