248 FAMILY VI.— LOCUSTID^. 



grooved beneath at the apex ; antennae very long, usually 

 two or more times as long as the body ; pronotum not ex- 

 tending over the meta- and mesothorax as in Atlanticvs, 

 and well rounded on top; prosternum unarmed; abdomen 

 arched; legs long, slender, with a few spines; hind femora 

 swollen at the base, channeled beneath, and more or less 

 spined ; hind tibiae with more than four pairs of spurs, first 

 tarsal joint almost as long as the rest together; ovipositor 

 straight, more or less swollen at the base. 



All members of this and allied genera live in dark and 

 moist places, under rotten logs, stones, mole-hills, in cavi- 

 ties, or in cellars. A related insect, the "Cave Cricket," is 

 found in our large caves; it is colorless and blind, but pos- 

 sesses long legs and antenna. Another species lives in Flor- 

 ida in the burrows of a turtle, the "Gopher." All are wing- 

 less grasshoppers which, on account of their ^resemblance 

 to genuine crickets, are called "Cricket-like Grasshoppers" 

 or "Stone Crickets." Their color, which is a pale brown, 

 dirty white, or quite dark and almost black, harmonizes 

 well with their surroundings, and the mottled appearance 

 of some adds to their protection. 



The males of these peculiar beings are readily separated 

 by the size, number and relative positions of the spines on 

 the under side of the hind femora, as well as by the degree ol 

 curvature of the corresponding tibiae. The females, having 

 neither the spined posterior femora nor the curved tibiae, are 

 less readily distinguished. As the two sexes are colored 

 alike, and are usually found together in some hiding place, 

 there will be little difficulty in placing the female after deter- 

 mining the male by the characters given. 



These insects are almost omnivorous in their choice of 

 food, and like most Locustidae feed upon meat whenever they 

 can obtain it. 



