28 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Jan., 'il 



The Musical Habits of Some New England Orthop- 

 tera in September. 



By H. A. Allard, United States Department of Agriculture, 

 Washington, D. C. 



Primarily to become better acquainted with the call notes of 

 some New England katydids and grasshoppers, the writer 

 spent the first three weeks of September, 1910, at Oxford, 

 Mass. Throughout this period the days and evenings were 

 pleasantly occupied in rambles through the fields and pastures 

 in the beautiful Fort Hill region.* The stridulations of a num- 

 ber of musical Orthoptera were carefully studied. Observa- 

 tions concerning these may be of some aid to those who have 

 become interested in the habits of musical insects. 



The following species, including a few unmusical ones, were 

 observed or captured: 



In the fields and meadows: Orchclimum vulgare Harris; 

 Conocephalus ensiger Harris; Amblycorypha rotundifolia 

 Scudd. ; Scudderia texensis S. & P. ; Scudderia fur cat a Brun- 

 ner; Xiphidium fasciatum DeG. ; Xiphidium brevipenne Scudd.; 

 Gryllus pennsylvanicus Burm. ; Ncmobius fasciatus (vittatus) 

 Harris; Stenobotlirus curtipennis Harris; Melanoplus femora- 

 ius Burm.; Encoptoloplius sordidus Burm. In weeds, vines 

 and shrubbery: Oecanthus niveus DeG.; Oecanthus angusti- 

 pennis Fitch; Oecanthus nigricornis Walker; Oecanthus quad- 

 ripiuictatus Beut. Beneath leaves in damp localities: Ne- 

 mobius palustris Blatchley. In wells, beneath stone piles, etc. : 

 Ceuthophihts maculatus Harris. In lofty trees: Cyrtophyllus 

 perspicillatus Linn.t 



* About Sept. 22 the writer spent several days at Crestwood, Yon- 

 kers, N. Y. During warm, sunny afternoons many males of Con- 

 ocephalus triors, Linn., were stridulating in the fields and meadows. 

 In a small area hardly larger than 25 square feet, and overgrown with 

 grass, weeds and asters the writer captured half a dozen specimens. 

 The note is a keen continuous z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z. This Conocephalus is 

 probably common throughout western and southern Connecticut 

 the writer heard the same stridulation in this region on his way into 

 New York from Providence. 



t. The writer is indebted to Mr. A. X. Caudell. of the U. S. Nation- 

 al Museum, who has kindly confirmed or made all identifications of 

 Orthoptera listed in this paper. 



