131 



dead, and showed signs of having been nibbled by their hungry brothers. 

 Some leaves of plum infested with a delicate species of yellow aphis 

 were then put into the jar, but attracted no immediate attention. As 

 twilight deepened, however, the crickets awakene<l to greater activity. 

 By holding the jar against the light of the window or bringing it sud- 

 denly into the lamp-light, the little nocturnal hunters might be seen 

 hurrying, with a furtive, darting mov^ement over the leaves and stems, 

 the head bent down, the autenn?e stretched forward, and every sense 

 apparently on the alert. Then the aphides provided for their food 

 would be caught up one after another with eagerness and devoured 

 with violent action of the mouthparts, the antennai meanwhile playing 

 up and down in evident expression of satisfaction. Unless I had pro- 

 vided very liberally not an aphis would be found in the jar the next 

 morning, and the sluggish crickets would have every appearance of 

 plethora. Later on in their lives, by reducing them to the point of 

 starvation, I repeatedly made them feed in the daytime, so that I might 

 the more distinctly observe the process, which is certainly very inter- 

 esting. 



The growth of the insects is rather slow. Three larval moults take 

 place at intervals of about two weeks. In the case of those reared in 

 the jar the habit of devouring the exuvise was not very strictly adhered 

 to, although in some instances it was partially eaten. Probably owing 

 to the abundance of legitimate food there was no cannibalism, after the 

 first few days, among my pets, and while they did not seem to seek 

 each other's society they hunted over the same leaves and twigs with- 

 out injuring each other, though it was amusing to observe the alacrity 

 with which both would retreat if two chanced to come in contact. 



Wings were not acquired until late in August, and at this time I 

 again attempted to change their diet to fruit, grapes, i)lums, etc., an 

 experiment that resulted in the death of all but three of my specimens. 

 Those which remained fed for about two weeks longer upon oak Tingis, 

 Aphis popuU, and on a brownish aphis which infested the new shoots of 

 grape, but neither of the two males essayed any musical performances, 

 nor would the single female that reached its perfect state puncture any 

 of the twigs that were furnished her, and all three died long before 

 those out of doors had ceased to sing. 



During the present summer my attention was again attracted to these 

 insects by finding them so constantly and numerously on oaks infested 

 with Phylloxera rileyi. Every leaf dotted by the aphis would have its 

 tree cricket in addition to various smaller foes. The species most com- 

 monly seen was (E. latipennis, distinguished to casual observation by its 

 somewhat larger size and by the brilliant orange red or red and yellow 

 dorsal stripe of the pupfe. The size and the broader wings sulficiently 

 characterize the mature insect. A close examination reveals many less 

 obvious distinctions between the two. 



I found that one specimen of CEcanthus would clear the Phylloxera 



