126 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



sembling a sword or cimeter in shape. The whig-covers slope 

 downwards at the sides of the body, and overlap only a little on 

 the top of the back near the thorax. This overlapping portion, 

 which forms a long triangle, is traversed, in the males, by strong 

 projecting veins, between which, in many of them, are mem- 

 branous spaces as transparent as glass. The sounds emitted by 

 the males, and varying according to the species, are produced by 

 the friction of these overlapping portions together. 



In Massachusetts there is one kind of grasshopper, which forms 

 a remarkable exception to the other native insects of this family ; 

 and, as it does not seem to have been named or described by any 

 author, although by no means an uncommon insect, it may receive 

 a passing notice here. It is found only under stones and rubbish 

 in woods, has a short thick body, and remarkably stout hind 

 thighs, like a cricket, but is entirely destitute of wing-covers and 

 wings, even when arrived at maturity. It probably belongs to 

 M. Serville's genus Raphidophora, the awl-bearer, only one spe- 

 cies of which has been described, and that one is a native of Java. 

 I propose, therefore, to call this species Raphidophora maculata*^ 

 the spotted awl-bearer. Its body is of a pale yellowish brown 

 color, darker on the back, which is covered with little light- 

 colored spots, and the outside of the hindmost thighs is marked 

 with numerous short oblique lines, disposed in parallel rows, like 

 those on the thighs of Acheta vittata. It varies in length from 

 one half to more than three quarters of an inch, exclusive of the 

 piercer and legs. The body is smooth and shining, and the 

 back is arched. 



Most grasshoppers are of a green color, and are furnished with 

 wings and wing-covers, the latter frequently resembling the leaves 

 of trees, upon which, indeed, many of these insects pass the 

 greater part of their lives. Their leaf-like form and green color 

 evidently seem to have been designed for the better concealment 

 of these insects. They commit their eggs to the earth, dropping 

 them ihto holes made for this purpose by their piercers. They 

 lay a large number of eggs at a time, and cover them with a kind 

 of varnish, which, when dry, forms a thin film that completely 



* Gryllus maculatus, Harris. Catalogue of the Insects of Massachusetts. 



