13S FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF 



wings into three lobes, and to show how very different insects may- 

 be in t he larva state, both in habit and appearance, even when 

 they belong (o the same genus and greatly resemble each other in 

 the perfect slate, I have represented at Plate 2, Figure 13, another 

 Plume, which I shall presently describe as the Thistle Plume. 



Remedies. — Whenever they become numerous, as they did last 

 summer, the only remedy is hand-picking. 



THE TREE-CRICKET— (Ecanthus niveus, Harris. 



(Orthoptera, Achetida?.) 



This insect is represented in the annexed cats, Figure 77 showing 

 the male, and Figure 78 the female. The general color is a delicate 

 [Fig. 77.] greenish, semi-transparent white, though some speci- 

 mens have a blackish shade. From the fact that it is 

 known to devour plant-lice and likewise the eggs of 

 some moths, I was formerly in doubts whether it 

 should be considered [Fig- 7S -1 



friend or foe, but the ex- 



perience of the past year ^^ — ^ 



settles the matter deli- T- ' — ~-~:^ r ~ w C;-> 

 nitely, for it has proved 

 very destructive to the vine. The female deposits her eggs in grape 

 canes, raspberry and blackberry canes, in the twigs of the peach, 

 White willow, and a variety of other trees. In depositing, she makes 

 a straight, longitudinal, contiguous row of punctures, each puncture 

 about the size of that which would be made by an ordinary pin. 

 From each of these holes, a narrow, yellowish, elongate e^g, runs 

 slantingly across the pith. The twigs or canes thus punctured almost 

 invariably die above the punctured part, and the injury thus caused 

 to vines is sometimes considerable. 



But by far the worst habit of the Tree-cricket is that of severing 

 grapes from the bunches just as they are beginning to ripen, audit 

 sometimes cuts off an entire bunch, or so thoroughly excoriates the 

 stem that it fails to ripen its berries. I have seen the ground under 

 some vines covered with grapes which had been thus severed, but 

 should never have accused the Tree-cricket, had I not found it in the 

 very act, and received specimens with accounts of this same habit, 

 both from Mr. B. L. Kingsbury, of Alton, Illinois, and from J. H. Tice, 

 of St. Louis. This cricket is aided in this destructive work by another 

 species which has the same habit, namely the Jumping Tree-cricket 

 ( Orocharis saltator^ Uhler.) This last insect is more robustly built 

 than the former, and is at once distinguished by its uniform light- 



