262 



FAMILY YII.-GRYLLID^. 



faintly visible in dried specimens. A black line, also on each 

 side of the thorax, continuous with a line of the same color 

 along the sides of the wing-covers. Body above black, with 

 indications of two rows of pale spots. Underside pale 

 brown with a broken, blackish, spot-like stripe on each side. 

 In the male the pale portion of the under side of the body is 

 usually reduced to a stripe along the middle. The ovipositor 

 is straight and pointed obliquely upwards, and is about as 

 long as the hind femora. Spines on tibiae of hind legs rather 

 long. The wing-covers in the male are as long or almost as 

 long as the abdomen, and in the female they are aboiit halt 

 as long. The hind wings are over twice the length of the 

 wing-covers, and project beyond like tails. 

 Length from 9-11 mm.; ovipositor, 8 mm. 



Nemohius fasciatus, form vittatus Harris. 



This form only differs from fasciatus in having the hind 

 wings aborted; in color, size and mark- 

 ings it is the same. 



It is ver}^ abundant in open woods 

 and meadows near by, and is found from 

 Juh' until severe frost. Even in earh^ 

 winter, during warm days and in sunny 

 spots, these insects are active. Like the 

 larger insect forming the genus Gryllus 

 they are chiefly solitary and nocturnal, 

 yet may be seen in large numbers to- 

 gether in fields and during the dav. 

 They are very pugnacious, and not 

 alone fight among themselves but sav- 

 agely bite a straw if irritated with it. 

 Especially during their love season they Fig- x-o.-Nemobius fasc- 



di .,1 . , atus. form vittatus, fe- 



SOme, and pitch into male, original. 



each other while keeping up a constant stridulation. Prof. 

 Scudder gives the following pleasing account of the sounds 

 made by this species, which is shown in fig. 170: 



