INSECTA 77 



hoppers. They pass the winter as mature insects, hiding 

 beneath stumps, logs, or rubbish. On sunny days, they 

 sometimes venture out in great numbers, even in mid- 

 winter. On the first warm days of spring they can be 

 collected by hundreds from a grass-covered hillside hav- 

 ing a southern exposure, or from boggy places along the 

 margins of lakes and streams. They feed upon vegetable 

 mould, humus, lichens, mosses, tender sprouts, etc. 

 Grouse-locusts lay eggs underground in May, and the 

 young which hatch from them mature by autumn. 



The TryaxalincB for the most part frequent the borders 

 of marshes and damp prairie meadows. Their noiseless 

 flight and quiet colors render them rather inconspicuous. 

 They pass the winter in the egg stage, mature during the 

 summer, and die in the autumn. Many species have the 

 wings short and imperfectly developed. 



The subfamily (Edipodince includes many locusts that 

 are familiar to everyone. In all these insects the body and 

 outer wings are dull brown or gray. Such somber colors 

 blend with the dusty roads and bare patches which they 

 frequent. When in flight, however, the bright colors of 

 the inner wings are displayed. The (Edipodince sing on 

 the wing making a peculiar crackling sound. They 

 " crackle" and display their bright colors to attract mates, 

 and such activities make them rather conspicuous. The 

 Carolina Locust, Dissostera Carolina, is the common large 

 species along roadways, its inner wings are black with a 

 broad yellow border. A few of the grasshoppers in this 

 family pass the winter as half-grown " nymphs," but most 

 species winter over in the egg stage. 



Most of our common small grasshoppers belong to the 

 family Acridince. They vary much in size and general 

 appearance. Among them are found our most injurious- 

 Orthoptera for they commonly feed on vegetation, such as 

 farmers' crops. Most species are dull olive-brown, or 

 green, frequently with stripes or spots, and none have 

 brightly colored wings. Members of the same species may 



