Courtship) of certain European Acridiidce. 251 



under wingSj but even in the open path, the male seemed 

 to lose her at once. In another case, when the female 

 came near, the male jumped right away/^ 



It is noteworthy that most of the observations upon 

 the last-named two species were made late in the afier- 

 noon, when the sun was losing its power. 



CEdipoda ccerulescens. 



I had long wished to study the courtship of these 

 beautiful insects, but there were none round the Weiss- 

 horn Hotel. Lower, at San Luc (5390 feet), they began 

 to appear, and still lower, at Vissoye (4006 feet), and all 

 along the main valley road, they were excessively abun- 

 dant. They are always difficult to observe, because they 

 haunt places where the combination of direct heat with 

 that reflected from rocks or bare slopes, is almost un- 

 bearable. I had no time to observe them until we had 

 come down to Fribourg. 



September 9. — These insects were very abundant in a 

 large gravel pit, just outside the gate of the town, on the 

 road to La Roche. There is little doubt that they be- 

 longed to the above-named species. They were very lively, 

 continually flitting about over the bare earth and gravel. 

 They are very shy, and it is necessary to keep perfectly 

 still in the intolerable heat, in order to watch their habits. 

 I noticed that the males move their third legs as if in 

 stridulation, but that no audible sound was emitted. 

 There is an apparent lack of intention and eflbrt about 

 their movement which suggested that the habit is pro- 

 bably only a vestige, and possesses no other significance. 

 The legs were raised, and seemed to be allowed to drop 

 by their own weight. Furthermore, these strokes were 

 not repeated at regular intervals, but quite irregularly, 

 and often singly. In this case I did not secure any 

 material, and therefore cannot speak with any confidence ; 

 but I anticipate that the legs will be found to be without 

 the sound-producing structures. 



A female remained motionless on the ground near to 

 me. She was much larger than the males, and the ex- 

 posed surface of her body and wings was of a redder 

 brown. The males were extremely acute in detecting 

 her presence, although she made no movement, and 

 looked exactly like a part of the ground. Whenever a 



