368 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 







is a corresponding muscular movement from the front of the abdomen 

 backward, two and a half times a second. This is accompanied by a 

 buzzing sound, quite audible near at hand ; it resembles the humming of 

 a bee, or the droning of a bagpipe. 



C. ensiger also seems to have a single song, but it stridulates only by 

 night or during cloudy weather ; it commences its song as soon as the 

 sky is obscured or the sun is near the horizon ; it begins with a note like 

 briv, then pauses an instant and immediately emits a rapid succession of 

 sounds like ckwl at the rate of about five per second, and continues them 

 for an unlimited time. Either the rapidity of the notes is variable, 

 becoming sometimes as frequent as twenty-three in three seconds, or 

 else there is some deceptive character in its song. In a number of 



Fig- 53- 



brw chwi chwi chwi chwl chwi chwi chwl chwi chwi chwi 



\f I/ I tit t t t t bit 



chwi chwl chwi chwi chwl chwt chwi chwi chwi chwl chwi 



Note of Conoceplialus ensiger. 



instances I have counted the notes as rapid as the highest rate given 

 above, but on a nearer approach to verify them the rate was invariably 

 reduced to five per second ; it is doubtful whether this was due to alarm 

 at my approach, for this is the least shy of all our Locustarians. 



10. XipJiidium fasciatum Serv. It is found from the valleys of the 

 White Mountain region southward, as far as Maryland and southern 

 Illinois. Its note resembles that of Orchelimum, but is exceedingly faint. 



n. Xiphidium brevipenne Scudd. This species has much the same 

 distribution as the preceding, but is not recorded from points so far south, 

 although it reaches Pennsylvania and Michigan. One year its first 

 appearance was recorded about Boston, July i6th; another year in the 

 neighborhood of Jefferson, White Mountains, August 8th. 



12. Orchelimum vulgare Harr. This insect is found through all the 

 White Mountain region, even to the alpine zone, and also over the rest of 

 the state. It is everywhere very abundant, as its name indicates. It is 

 also found southward at least as far as Maryland and southern Illinois, 

 probably also to the Carolinas. There is not so great disparity in the time 



