168 SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT. 



With the exception of Harris's account of these eggs, which is 

 erroneous, the only other account which I know of, that is not copied 

 from Harris, is that by B. Jaeger in his "Life of N. A. Insects" 

 i^'^'^i^ (p. 108), where he unequivocally states that the female 

 pierces holes in the ground for the purpose of depositing her 

 eggs, and then goes on to describe how ''a very close and 

 interesting observation of the conduct of Miese insects may 

 '^& be made every autumn by putting a pair of them into a wide 

 glass vessel, having the bottom covered with turf, which, 

 however, must be sprinkled with water every day. As soon 

 ^^ as the evening begins the female will commence laying her 



LCM CON- 

 CAVCM : 



3(>N- eggs and depositing them in the ground, and the male will 



fimf^i'i-ont announce in loud tones that Katy-did-it. If you preserve 



liir^'dj'^ci these eggs in the turf through the winter, and open them 



mit. siM.'' ill the following spring, you will find the insect in a perfect 



condition, except being destitute of wings." 



Now, when a man describes in detail a process like the above, 

 one naturally concludes that he has witnessed what he describes, and 

 were the above from almost any other author than Mr. Jaeger, I should 

 be inclined to respect it; but there is so much nonsense and false 

 statement in Mr. Jaeger's book, that I have no doubt that the passage 

 describes an imaginary process, adapted from the account of some 

 European grasshopper in which it may be observed ; for if our Katy- 

 did ever oviposited in the earth, it would have had abundant oppor- 

 tunity of so doing in cages where I have kept it. 



The talc-like plate at the base of the wing-covers of the male is 

 -quite transparent, strongly-ribbed and surrounded by ridged veins, 

 while in the other three species, the overlapping portion is no more 

 transparent than the wing-cover itself. The stridulation is quite forci- 

 ble, representing more often, "Katy-she-did " than "Katy-did," and 

 continued at regular intervals. It is seldom heard in the day, but as 

 «oon as the stars begin to show in Heaven's ebon vault, the familiar 

 song of this male concavuvi blends in the distance with the more 

 numerous trills of his cousin retinervis^ but is distinct and separate 

 when closer to ear. 



I have had no opportunity of making notes of the adolescent 

 stages. 



