188 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



in September, when they descend to feed on the second growth 

 and the surroundiag grasses until winter, when they crawl into 

 the thick clump of the Elymus and hibernate, appearing again 

 in early May and changing to pupa3. From then on until the 

 middle of the month they feed on any green plant, near enough 

 to be reached, crawling at last to the top of some blade of grass 

 and issuing as adults over ten months from the time of hatch- 

 ing from eggs. 



This species in common with the others which occur in long 

 and short winged forms, are usually very thick, where they 

 occur at all; but, the eggs being deposited only upon the 

 Elymus, they are limited in their range to a radius of a few 

 feet at most from their host. 



They have been observed to feed upon the heads of E. vir- 

 ginicus indiscriminately with those of canadensis where the two 

 grasses are near together, or near enough for migration, and 

 in the spring, when the larvae were large and abundant and the 

 grasses small and inconspicuous, they were found upon every- 

 thing occurring within a reasonable distance of the host. 



In view of the fact that wild rye is oae of the most delete- 

 rious of our grasses, and has been the cause of considerable 

 loss to our stockmen in the past through its propensity to ergo- 

 tism its eradication from pastures and meadows would of itself 

 be beneficial, and at the same time avoid any possibility of 

 further injury from this species of jassid. Another method 

 which would accomplish both ends sought and still enable us to 

 make use of its valuable food properties would be to closely 

 mow the Elymus clumps the latter part of each June. This 

 would cut off the head-forming stems before they had devel- 

 oped ergot, and would destroy the eggs of the shovel-nose, and 

 at the same time leave the grass in good condition for immedi- 

 ate pasture, or, if not pastured, produce a better crop of hay 

 than without the mowing. 



TEE SPOON-BILL LEAF-HOPPER 



HECALUS LINEATUS UHL. 

 (PI. XX, Fig. 2.) 

 Olassocratus lineatus Uhler. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Ill, p. 464, 1877 [9 ) 

 Olassocratus fenestratui^ Uhler. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Ill, p. 464, 1877. { $) 



This rare species is intermediate in form between the Dory- 

 cephalus and Parabolocratus. The female measures 12 mm. to the 

 tip of the exserted, attenuate ovipositor. The head is 2. 50 mm. 



