36 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Jan., 'il 



musical on cloudy days and at night. It may sometimes be 

 heard in low trees. This tree cricket appears to be more sus- 

 ceptible to cold than the others, and sooner becomes silent at 

 the approach of autumn. Its notes are a faint, intermittent 

 phrase — treeeeeee — with nearly equal intervals of silence in- 

 tervening. Davis accurately describes it as "a faint, continu- 

 ous whir, lasting only about five seconds, with an equal inter- 

 val of rest." Blatchley's description is very similar. YY. Faxon* 

 describes them as "consisting of a trill of several seconds' 

 duration succeeded by a short pause ; this song suggests the 

 spring note of the toad heard afar off." 



Oecanthus nigricornis Walker is not as arboreal in its habits 

 as the preceding species. It dwells among weeds, grass and 

 golden rods nearly everywhere in fields and pastures. Its song 

 is a steady, quavering, sustained trill. The trill of some in- 

 dividuals is strong, deep and rich-toned, recalling the mellow 

 trill of 0. latipennis. The pitch and volume of sound van- 

 noticeably with different individuals of this species. This 

 Oecanthus is a common species at Oxford, Mass., in August 

 and September. 



Oecanthus quadripunctatus Beut.. is also a common species, 

 preferring the same environment of weeds and low shrubs as 

 0. nigricornis. The writer has been unable to find any con- 

 stant differences which serve to distinguish the trills of these 

 two species. That of 0. quadripunctatus is long- sustained and 

 sometimes shrill. The notes of other individuals are stronger 

 and deeper-toned, recalling the melodious trill of O. latipennis 

 as do those of 0. nigricornis. The stridulations of 0. quadri- 

 punctatus in New England have always seemed louder and 

 lower-toned to the writer than the weaker and shriller trilling 

 of the same soecies in Northern Georgia. This Oecanthus is 

 a persistent triller throughout the days and nights. Faxon 

 c avs : "Song similar to No. 3 (meaning O. nigricornis) but 

 clearer in tone and no doubt sufficientlv distinct on close ac- 



*. "Habits nnd Notes of the New England Species of Oecanthus." 

 by Walter Faxon, in Psyche, Vol. 9, No. 300, April 1901. 



