20 THE ORTHOPTERA OF MINNESOTA. 



fields, bare spots in timothy fields and neglected and dry 

 pastures. In other words Avell drained spots free of vege- 

 tation, and consequent!}^ a soil free of roots, are preferred. 



The Pellucid Locust has different habits as far as egg- 

 laying is concerned. The females of the pellucid locusts com- 

 mence to deposit their eggs about the end of July, usually at 

 least fourteen days later than the other migratory kinds. 

 Their method of doing so is entirely different. As a general 

 rule they select for this purpose pasture land, road sides, or, 

 by preference, clearings from which the stumps have not j^et 

 been removed, although the land has alreadj' been used for 

 crops. In such places large numbers of eggs are deposited 

 in the sod. Usually they are placed right upon the surface of 

 thesoil, where they are protected by the grass and by the rub- 

 bish found in such situations (Fig. 1, b and c). Occasionalh^ 

 the eggs are deposited just beneath the surface, but only 

 where the ground is sufficiently loose to enable the insects to 

 do so. The eggs are about 4 mm. in length, and 1 mm. in 

 diameter; they are slightly curved and rounded at the ends 

 (Fig. 1, a). They are deposited in laj^ers, each with three or 

 four eggs, which overlap and appear somewhat irreguhir 

 (Fig. 1, b). These diagonally overlapping layers are built 

 up until an elongated cylindrical mass from 10 to 15 mm. 

 in length is formed. This whole mass of eggs is protected 

 by a water-proof covering composed of bits of earth cemented 

 together with the frothy material produced b}^ the mother 

 insect at the time the eggs are deposited and arranged by 

 her. One end of this protective laj'crof waterproof material 

 is very thin, almost or entirely open, thus affording the 

 young and weak locust an easy means ot egress. Each 

 cylindrical capsule contains about twenty eggs. In many 

 places, in which the locusts had been very numerous, 

 in a square inch of sod were found as man^' as six egg- 

 masses, which means 17,000 eggs to the square foot, enough 

 to make crops in their vicinity a very problematical aff^air. 



