Occasional Papers of the Mtisemii of Zoology 15 



from Bottineau was swept from the tall grass and herbage 

 filling a small, dry watercourse where it ran through a bare 

 pasture. One male was taken at Fargo with 0. speciosa in a 

 low, moist area among clumps of tall grass and occasional 

 sedges. 



O. pelidna makes a sharp, buzzing noise while in flight ; the 

 sound is short, a second or less in duration, and while distinct 

 is not loud. It usually comes near the end of the flight, just 

 before the insect dives into the grass. The species is very 

 quick and agile, as well as being inconspicuously colored, which 

 makes it rather hard to collect where it is not numerous. 



Orphnlella speciosa ( Scudder). — Devils Lake, Aug. 7, 1920, 

 I female: Stump Lake, July 24. 1920, 15 males, 10 females; 

 Sheyenne River, Eddy Co., Aug. 8, 1920. i male, 4 females ; 

 Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 1920, () males, 5 females; Medora, July 31, 

 1920, I male ; Amidon, Aug. 24, 1920, 6 males. 



Common on sandy and loamy soils throughout the state. It 

 was frequently taken in company with Orpliitlclla pelidna in 

 the eastern part of the state, but the latter species was not 

 found in any of the western localities. In the Devils-Stump 

 Lake region O. speciosa was common in dry fields and pas- 

 tures, usually where the sandy or gravelly soil was rather 

 sparsely covered with dry grass, with occasional chunps of 

 such plants as goldenrod. Grindelia sqiiarrosa, and Arte- 

 misia. At Fargo it was taktn in similar situations, and also 

 with 0. pelidna in a low, moist area of mucky soil, among 

 clumps of tall grasses and sedges. In the western part of the 

 state it was found among dry grasses and clumps of Artemisia 

 in the valley of the Little Missouri at Medora. and on dry, 

 sandy clay soil covered with low. sparse vegetation among the 

 "breaks" of the Bad Lands at Amidon. 



Chloealtis conspersa Harris. — Devils Lake, July 18-28, 1920, 



