67 



Oecanthus latipennis Riley. Riley describes the note as follows : " The shrill cry 

 of litipennis is continuous and recalls the trilling of a high-pitched dog- whistle in tha 

 distance. The key varies, however, and is sometimes much less high and more musical 

 than at others. The commingled shrills of the species recall also the distant croaking of 

 frogs in the spring. The broad wings are thoroughly elevated during the act, or even 

 bent forward, and the vibration is so rapid that there appears to be no motion." 

 McNeill says : " Its song has been described as a ' continuous, high-keyed trill, continued 

 for fifteen minutes or more.' This is exactly the song oifasciatus. Since there has been 

 so much confusion in the species of this genus, there is a chance that the song described 

 above is mistakenly referred to latipennis." 



Oecanthus angustipennis Fitch. McNeill says of this species, that it " has a song 

 which resembles that oifasciatus in some degree, but it is very much fainter and lasts 

 for about five seconds, with an equal interval between the trills." Davis says its song is 

 ■" a faint continuous whirr, lasting only about five seconds, with an equal interval of 

 rest." See also the notes under (2?. niveus. 



Anaxipha exigua (Say). Perhaps the same as A. pulicaria (Burm.) The only one 

 who has spoken of its song is Davis, who simply says it "has a particular silvery tone." 



Orocharis saltatrix Uhl. Riley writes : " The stridulation of this cricket is a rather 

 soft and musical piping of not quite half a second's duration, with from four to six trills, 

 but so rapid that they are lost in the distance. The key is very high, but varies in 

 difi"erent individuals and according to moisture and temperature. It most resembles the 

 vibrating touch of the finger on the rim of an ordinary tumbler when three-fourths filled 

 with water, repeated at intervals of from two to four per second, and may be very well 

 likened to the piping of a young chick and of some tree frogs. As the species is very 

 common in the south-west, its chirp is everywhere heard, and is so distinctive that when 

 once studied it is never lost amid the louder racket of the katydids and other night 

 choristers. It is also frequently heard during the day time when the weather is damp 

 and cloudy," ^ 



LOCUSTIDAE. 



" These," writes Riley, " are the merry choristers that make our woods and valleys 

 ring with their pleasant songs during the evenings of late summer and early fall. They 

 are chiefly nocturnal in their habits, bat not entirely so, for each afternoon during the 

 courting time, and long before the sun has disappeared in the west, a few of them may 

 be seen flying about from place to place, while others are occasionally heard in their 

 retreats as though tuning their instruments preparatory to the grand evening concert." 



Scudderia angustifolia, (Harr). This insect is more noisy by night than by day, 

 and the songs difl'er considerably at these two times. The day song is given only during 

 sunshine, the other by night and in cloudy weather. I first noticed this while watching 

 one of these little creatures close beside me. As a cloud passed oyer the sun, he 

 suddenly changed his note to one with which I was already familiar, but without 

 knowing to what insect it belonged. At the same time all the individuals around, 



bzrwi bzrwi 



Fig. 42. — Note of Scudderia angustifolia by day. 



whose similar day song I had heard, began to respond with the night cry. The cloud 

 passed away and the original note was resumed on all sides. Judging that they pre- 

 ferred the night song to that of the day from their increased stridulation during the 

 former period, I imitated the night song during sunshine, aud obtained an immediate 

 response in the same language. The experiment proved that the insects could hear as 

 well as sing. So on another day, at 4 p.m., the sun suddenly beclouded, I heard four or 



