128 



22. Conocephalus crepitans Scudd. Reno Co. (L. A. O'Hara) ; Bar- 

 ber Co. and Garden City (Cragin) ; Ellis (Watson); Labette Co. (New- 

 Ion). 



This large conocephalid appears to be quite abundant throughout the 

 valleys of the Arkansas and Kansas rivers. Like several other species of 

 the genus inhabiting th .> central and eastern portions of the United States. 

 it occurs in two colors; viz , bright grass-green and dull straw-yellow. It 

 approaches more closely C. robustus than any other of our species, and is 

 to be distinguished from that insect by its somewhat shorter fastigium, or 

 cone between the eyes, which is devoid of all black marks on the under 

 surface. 



23. Xiphidium strictum Scudd. Reno Co. (L. A. and H. P. O'Hara) ; 

 Barber Co., Great, Bend, and Topeka (Cragin); McPherson Co. (Rund- 

 strom); Topeka (C. W. Lane). 



This is our largest very short-winged species, and occurs throughout the 

 entire eastern and central portions of the United States. In Texas the 

 specimens are somewhat larger and have longer ovipositors than they do 

 as far north as West Point, Neb., the northernmost point at which I 

 have taken them. 



24. Xiphidium saltaiis Scudd. Topeka and Barber Co. (Cragin); 

 McPherson Co. (Rundstrom). 



The collection contains several specimens of what 1 take to be this 

 species, although Mr. Scudder in his description states that its wings are 

 much shorter than those of X. brevipennis. In the present specimens the 

 females possess wings fully 18 mm. in length, but aside from this they 

 agree with Mr. Scudder's description in every particular. 



25. Xipliidium fasciatiim De Geer. Topeka (Cragin and Lane). 



This species occurs very numerously along the margins of streams and 

 ponds, among, the rank grasses, in the stems of which its eggs are de- 

 posited. 



26. Orcheliimim g-laberriimim Burm. Topeka (Cragin). 



I have never determined this species to my own satisfaction, and am of 

 the opinion that a great many references to it are erroneous. There an; 

 at least three or four of the Orchelimums to be found at almost every lo- 

 cality in the United States, and any of which might be taken for glubcrri- 

 muni or either of the other species. The characters by which they are 

 separated are not always constant, arid in some of their variations become 

 difficult to recognize. Orchetiniuni nigrljH's, ;is the name implies, has black 

 feet: but this characteristic sometimes becomes erased to a considerable ex- 

 tent, while occasionally specimens of one or two other species are found 

 that also show dark feet and tibiae. 0. htnyij tennis has very long wings, 

 while in 0. ndcjarc. which is a rather clumsy insect, the wings are quite 

 short and of equal length with the elytra. Again, 0. gldberrimum is dis- 

 tinguished from vnlgare. by having the dorsal band cf the pronotum edged 

 with black, as is the outer edge of the sonorous apparatus of the male ; 

 the antennae in both sexes are very long, and the ovipositor slightly ex- 

 panded in the middle. Again, 0. ngih\ an insect resembling the last two 

 in form, is to be distinguished from them in having "a very narrow dark 

 median streak down the face " ; and its pronotum is shorter than in i-ulgnri-. 



