January 1S91.] 



PSYCHE. 



the continuance of their kind, by thrust- 

 ing their long, slender ovipositors into 

 the loose soil and dropping their eggs. 

 These sometimes hatch the same year, 

 but, as a rule, lie over until the follow- 

 ing spring. The young generally live 

 above ground, where they hide among 

 fallen leaves, grasses, and other debris, 

 though sometimes they also creep into 

 chinks and crevices in the earth." 



My limited observation leads me to 

 conclude that the description just quoted 

 applies to no single species. The burrow 

 making species is G. ■pennsylvanicus 

 and, probably, G. luctuosus. The social 

 crickets are G. abbreviatus and G. 

 neglectus, which is probably a variety 

 of the first. Briefly recounted, the life 

 history of G. abbreviatus is as follows. 

 The eggs hatch in this latitude in July, 

 and the first adults appear as early as 

 the second week in August. During 

 every stage of life they are social, feed- 

 ing together, seeking shelter in company 

 and when egg laying time comes, in 

 October, the females collect by hundreds 

 in some suitable locality, an abandoned 

 or little used roadway suits them well, 

 and each lays several hundred eggs in 

 an irregular mass. After this duty is 

 performed their business on this planet 

 seems to be finished and they succumb 

 to the cold, none surviving the winter. 

 The eggs do not hatch until the follow- 

 ing July or if in rare cases they do they 

 probably perish with cold. 



In Florida, Gryllus luctuosus attains 

 its growth in December. G. pennsyl- 

 vanicus, which is probably merely the 

 short winged form of the former, is not 



found in the southern States and in the 

 middle States it does not have time to 

 complete its metamorphoses in the fall 

 and consequently survives the winter in 

 the larval and pupal stages. In the 

 spring it soon completes its transforma- 

 tions and by the first of June its note is 

 heard. They dig burrows which they 

 occupy probably as long as they live. 

 During the months of June and July 

 the meadows and pastures and especially 

 open woods pastures are filled with the 

 music of their song. Ordinarily in 

 favorite haunts every square rod will 

 contain at least one burrow and these 

 burrows are, of course, sometimes much 

 more abundant. The males never seem 

 to stray away from their houses in the 

 daytime and are frequently found within 

 the entrance, while singing. Where 

 their eggs are laid or when I have never 

 been able to discover, but I have never 

 seen the young before September, so 

 that the eggs are probably laid about the 

 time the young of G. abbreviatzis are 

 hatching. 



G. pc7insylvanicus is so far as I have 

 observed never a social species not even 

 I think in the larval and pupal stages. 

 G. abbreviatus on the other hand are 

 always social and are never burrow 

 inhabiting, although it is quite probable 

 that on occasion they seek the burrows 

 of their congeners for protection. Mr. 

 Scudder says in his paper on The distri- 

 bution of insects in New Hampshire, ''At 

 Jefferson in 1867 no chirp of a Gryllus 

 was heard until August 12, although 

 thev often commence their song in 

 Massachusetts in June." If I am right 



