36 THE ACRIDIIDAE OF MINNESOTA 
of color of wings and body but may be separated by reference to the 
key. Like the preceding it is a midsummer species and is most com- 
mon in sandy areas in the southern part of the State during late sum- 
mer. Blatchley (The Orthoptera of Indiana, p. 257) states that in 
Indiana a third of the males have the wing coloration orange, while but 
a sixth of the females are so colored. In Iowa we have taken twenty 
specimens at one time, in the field, for examination. Of these nine 
were males and eleven females ; seven of the females had red or orange 
wings, while but one male was so colored, and four females and eight 
males had yellow wings. Another peculiarity there noted was that 
the males were all notably dark in body color, save one, and the 
females uniformly of a lighter coloration. This examination was made 
August 10, 1909, and the facts, kept in mind through the collecting 
season, led to the conclusion that in Iowa, at least, the males are in 
general considerably darker than the females. The species is rather 
scarce in Minnesota and we have taken specimens only from Pipestone 
and Redwood Falls, although it will doubtless be found at other points 
when careful and continued collecting shall be done. 
Arphia pseudonietana Thom. 
Arphia pseudonietana is about the size of A. sulphurea but the 
coloration is extremely variable. The tegmina are of a gray to brown 
or nearly fuscous tone, but the wings are nearly always of a bright red 
color (Plate II, 1), though rarely forms are found in which the 
wings are a deep yellow. The pronotum frequently has a light area, 
anteriorly located, giving a “collared” effect. This is a very common 
insect especially in the western parts of the State in early spring and 
by May it is normally abundant at Fergus Falls and other points in 
the Red River Valley. By mid-July it has disappeared and again be- 
comes common in late August and September. For the most: part 
it is found in open places on dry soil, being often very abundant on 
gravel hills. It has a flight which is strong but not so vigorous as that 
of carinata or xanthoptera, and its aerial stridulation is less noticeable 
than in these. It is a very beautiful insect and in flight appears almost 
like some brilliant butterfly. On a clear, hot day in June at Fergus 
Falls, we once noted two males of this species standing facing one 
another about two inches apart. First one would raise the hind 
femora and rub them briskly against the sides of the tegmina a num- 
ber of times, producing a dull rasping sound which to our ears was 
certainly poor music; then he would drop to a position of attention 
and his vis-a-vis would go through the same performance. This con- 
tinued for some time and we at length left the two isolated “fiddlers” 
