24 



PSTCHE. 



[February 1S91 



the green herbage around. If they think 

 it worth while to make some active 

 movement to escape, they will frequently 

 slip round on the other side of the stem 

 and walk down to the ground or off 

 upon another plant. Unlike most Or- 

 thoptera they do not use their front legs 

 in holding to the mouth the thing upon 

 which they feed. Instead of biting they 

 seem to wrench or tear away pieces from 

 the stems or leaves. 



2S. Thyreonotus pachymerus Burm. 

 This is the first Orthopteron hatched 

 in the spring in northern states. It 

 may be easily recognized by the gray 

 top and shining black sides of its pro- 

 notum and by its very long and slender 

 antennae. Very little seems to be 

 known of its habits, but in captivity it 

 shows a decided taste for animal food, 

 and it may be not unreasonable to sup- 

 pose that it is at least partly carnivo- 

 rous in the wild state. It is found usu- 

 ally in shaded ravines, upon the bare 

 ground or the trunks of trees or under 

 rotten logs. First appearance, Aug. 9. 



29. Xiphidium fasciatum De Geer. 

 Abundant everywhere, in blue-grass 

 meadows especially. Its song is a faint 

 echo of that of Orchelimum vulgarevi\\\\ 

 the " zip-zip' 1 '' omitted. It is, I believe, 

 the first of the green grasshoppers to 

 reach maturity and its faint little quaver 

 is the first note of the great chorus that 

 sounds in all the meadows from the 

 first of August until the first of October 

 or until cold weather. I have captured 

 this species as early as the first of July. 



30. Xiphidium brevipenne Scudd. 

 This is a much less common species 



than the preceding but it is not rare in 

 damp meadows. It first appears here 

 about the middle of August. 



31. Xiphidium ensiferzun Scudd. I 

 have obtained numerous specimens 

 about Moline which I refer to this spe- 

 cies with certainty, but in many cases I 

 have the greatest difficulty in deciding 

 whether others should be referred 

 to this or the preceding or still other 

 species. Both species apparently may 

 have the under side of the posterior 

 femora armed with spines and both 

 seem to have forms in which there is a 

 peculiar modification of the grasping 

 organs of the male. Further study may 

 enable me to tell certainly whether they 

 are two or more or only one species. I 

 have two forms which I place here that 

 have wings and elytra extending much 

 beyond the knees. 



32. Xiphidium sp. ? A single speci- 

 men which is apparently deformed has 

 the ovipositor growing out of the upper 

 side of the apex of the abdomen with 

 the convex side up. In shape and size 

 it resembles the preceding species but 

 the ovipositor is curved instead of 

 straight and two and one half times as 

 long as the body. 



33. Xiphidium strictum Scudd. Not 

 rare in places similar to those frequented 

 by brevipenne and ensiferum. It is 

 found from the first of August to the 

 middle of October or later. My cabinet 

 contains a single specimen of this spe- 

 cies with elytra extending to the knees 

 and with the wings .25 of an inch 

 longer. 



34. Xiphidium iicmorale Scudd. 



