142 



at Olio of the worst-infested points. The winged insects startecl off 

 in th(! early part of the afternoon, in gr()ii])S here and there, )intil thou- 

 sands were flying before the wind, fifty or eighty feet in the air. ScSrcely 

 a winged specimen remained at last, and none returned so far as known. 

 Similar migrations on a smaller scale were elsewhere observed. 



Both these species are wide-spread. Americana occurs every\\here 

 (vast of the Great Plains of the United States from about the fortieth 

 parallel south to the Argentine Republic. Alutacea is found from New 

 I'viigland to California, especially to the southwest. In c(^ntral Illinois 

 it prefers sandy localities, and is very common th(^re. Like amcricana, 

 it has a long and powerful flight, and is likely to rest in bushes, trees, 

 or tall herbaceous growths. In th(> \'irginia outbreak already men- 

 tioned, it was noticed that it was easily destroyed by the use of poisonetl 

 bran mash. 



The Small Green Grasshopper. 



Hesperotetiix spcdosus Scudd. 



Tiiis species occurs in Illinois, but only in small num})ers and in 

 sandy situations. It is found from Texas and New Mexico to Wyoming 



and South Dakota, and east to 

 Illinois. It has been known to 

 do considerable injury to the, 

 sorghum croj) in southern Kan- 

 sas, but it is too rare in Illinois 

 to be destructive here. The adult 

 (Fig. 130) is grass-green through- 



Fia. 130. The Small Green Grasshopper, OUt eXCept for SOme sHght red 

 H esnerotettix speciosux. Natural size. (Bruner, -• ^ , • rtM^„ xl ,„„,. 



u. s. Dept. of AKricuiture.) or dusky markings. Ihe thorax 



and top of the head are rough- 

 (Mied, and the wings do not cjuite reach the tip of the abdomen. It 

 frecpients roadsides and fence rows, esj)ecially in sandy soil, and shows 

 a preference for wild sunflowers (Helianthus) and for the sorghum plant. 



Scudder's Short-winged Grasshopper. 



Melanoplus scudd cri Uhl. 



This species closely resembles the common red-legged grasshoj)per 

 in its general appearance and its red tibise, but the wings are only about 

 half as long as the abdomen. It might easily be mistaken for a young 

 jcmur-ruhrum, but may be at once distinguished from the fact that the 

 wings, though short, have the structure and position of those of the 

 adult insect. It is common in dry situations along fences and roadsides 

 in Illinois, and has twice been found eating the leaves of coi-ii. It occurs 

 from August until late fall, and, like the other common field species, 



( 



