270 FAMILY VII.— GRYLMD.K. 



body, 11 mm.; width of male wing-covers, 6 mm.; of female, 

 3 mm. 



This is one of the most abundant of our tree-crickets, and 

 can be found during August and Septemberin our gardens and 

 orchards. Even if not seen the insect can not escape detec- 

 tion, as its stridulation is very shrill. Though usually heard 

 at night it is sometimes also heard on cloudy daA's, but 

 only fainth'. This stridulating is continuous, and is a puls- 

 ating sound like re-teat, re-teat, or a-heat, a-beat. 



The female of niveus cause much injury by ovipositing in 

 the tender canes or shoots of various plants, as the rasp- 

 berry, grape, plum, peach, etc. Prof. Blatchley counted no 

 less than 321 eggs in a raspberry cane 22 inches in length. 

 The eggs are laid in autumn and at first the injury is shown 

 only by a slight roughness of the bark, but afterwards the 

 cane frequently dies above the puncture, or is so much injured 

 as to be broken off by the first high wind. If the injured and 

 broken canes containing the eggs are collected and burned 

 in early spring the number of Snowy Tree-crickets for that 

 season can be materially lessened. If, however, our trees 

 harbor many leaf-lice it is best not to apply such a heroic 

 treatment; it would be best to bring the canes containing 

 sijch eggs to places where lice abound; as these crickets pos- 

 sess carnivorous propensities, they can be utilized to greatlv 

 reduce the numbers of injurious leaf-lice. Miss Mary E. 

 Murtfeldt, of St. Louis, Mo., has given a most interesting 

 account of some experiments and observations with this 

 insect, and the following extract is given: "Some leaves of 

 plum infested with a delicate species of yellow aphis were 

 put into a jar with the young of CEcanthus niveus, but at- 

 tracted no immediate attention. As twilight deepened, how- 

 ever, the crickets awakened to greater activity. By holding 

 the jar against the light of the window or bringing it sud- 

 denly into the lamp light, the little nocturnal hunters might 

 be seen hurrying with a furtive, darting movement over the 

 leaves and stems, the head bent down, the antennae stretched 



