﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  EASTERN 
  EED-LEGGED 
  LOCUST. 
  685 
  

  

  spersa, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  probably 
  laid 
  singly, 
  and 
  

   that 
  tbe 
  glutinous 
  substance 
  which 
  afterward 
  becomes 
  spongy 
  and 
  hard 
  

   is 
  exuded 
  before 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  which 
  are 
  each 
  

   arranged 
  wjth 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  care 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  pack 
  most 
  closely, 
  forming 
  a 
  

   cylindrical 
  egg-mass. 
  By 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  anal 
  appendages 
  the 
  female 
  

   excavates 
  in 
  soft, 
  rotten 
  wood 
  a 
  smooth 
  round 
  hole 
  about 
  an 
  eighth 
  of 
  

   an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  two 
  rows, 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  

   side, 
  and 
  inclined 
  so 
  that, 
  beginning 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  hole, 
  each 
  egg 
  

   overlies 
  the 
  next 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  row 
  by 
  about 
  half 
  its 
  length. 
  The 
  aper- 
  

   ture 
  is 
  closed 
  by 
  a 
  little 
  disk 
  of 
  a 
  hard, 
  gummy 
  substance. 
  While 
  l3or- 
  

   ing 
  their 
  holes 
  a 
  frothy 
  fluid 
  is 
  emitted 
  from 
  some 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  ; 
  

   but 
  whether 
  it 
  serves 
  to 
  soften 
  the 
  wood 
  or 
  to 
  lubricate 
  the 
  appendages 
  

   and 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  hole, 
  1 
  did 
  not 
  determine. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  hole 
  is 
  made 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  being 
  deposited, 
  the 
  

   female 
  sits 
  with 
  her 
  body 
  inclined 
  at 
  a 
  low 
  angle, 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  folded 
  

   wings 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  the 
  fore 
  and 
  middle 
  pair 
  of 
  feet 
  iu 
  

   their 
  usual 
  position, 
  the 
  body 
  being 
  mainly 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  hind 
  legs, 
  

   which 
  are 
  placed 
  as 
  drawn 
  in 
  the 
  figure, 
  resting 
  firmly 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   not 
  elevated 
  as 
  iu 
  Eiley's 
  figure 
  of 
  C. 
  spretus 
  . 
  A 
  female 
  in 
  confinement, 
  

   September 
  24, 
  at 
  Amherst, 
  Mass., 
  was 
  observed 
  at 
  2 
  p. 
  m. 
  with 
  its 
  ab- 
  

   domen 
  deeply 
  inserted 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  ; 
  at 
  3.10 
  p. 
  m. 
  it 
  began 
  to 
  withdraw 
  

   with 
  much 
  deliberation 
  its 
  abdomen 
  ; 
  it 
  stopped 
  during 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  

   extraction, 
  having 
  withdrawn 
  its 
  abdomen 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  hole 
  ; 
  at 
  3.20 
  j). 
  m. 
  it 
  entirely 
  withdrew 
  its 
  abdomen. 
  It 
  had 
  

   laid 
  twenty 
  eggs, 
  naked, 
  in 
  a 
  mass, 
  not 
  having 
  deposited 
  around 
  them 
  

   any 
  appreciable 
  amount 
  of 
  glutinous 
  matter, 
  though 
  the 
  dirt 
  formed 
  

   a 
  partial 
  covering 
  for 
  it. 
  This 
  female 
  lived 
  several 
  days 
  after, 
  when 
  I 
  

   killed 
  it 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  ovaries, 
  in 
  which 
  were 
  fifteen 
  ovarian 
  eggs 
  from 
  

   one-third 
  to 
  one-half 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  ripe 
  eggs. 
  

  

  Another 
  G. 
  femur-rubrimi 
  was 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  laying 
  for 
  a 
  

   hour 
  and 
  a 
  half, 
  but 
  the 
  beginning 
  and 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  process 
  was 
  not 
  ob- 
  

   served. 
  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  from 
  these 
  observations 
  that 
  the 
  process 
  re- 
  

   quires 
  at 
  least 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  hours, 
  and 
  this 
  being 
  the 
  case 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  

   that 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  singly, 
  otherwise 
  the 
  mass 
  might 
  be 
  deposited 
  at 
  

   once, 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  minutes. 
  During 
  the 
  process 
  the 
  females 
  are 
  not 
  easily 
  

   disturbed. 
  

  

  Several 
  (Edipoda 
  sordida 
  and 
  Carolina 
  were 
  observed 
  laying 
  in 
  the 
  

   gravelly 
  walk 
  which 
  I 
  frequented 
  every 
  day 
  for 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  fortnight. 
  

   An 
  (E. 
  sordida 
  in 
  confinement 
  was 
  observed 
  beginning 
  to 
  bore 
  its 
  hole, 
  

   pushing 
  the 
  dirt 
  backward 
  and 
  forward 
  with 
  its 
  spines 
  on 
  the 
  abdomen. 
  

   The 
  duration 
  of 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  copulation 
  not 
  observed. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Harris 
  has 
  collected, 
  in 
  passages 
  often 
  quoted, 
  the 
  accounts 
  of 
  

   their 
  ravages 
  in 
  Northern 
  New 
  England 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  century. 
  They 
  

   appeared 
  most 
  frequently 
  in 
  Maine 
  and 
  were 
  alarmingly 
  abundant 
  in 
  

   the 
  summers 
  of 
  1743, 
  1749, 
  1754, 
  1756 
  ; 
  iu 
  Vermont, 
  in 
  1797, 
  1798. 
  They 
  

   were 
  not 
  afterward 
  noticed 
  by 
  local 
  historians 
  until 
  1821 
  or 
  1822. 
  I 
  con- 
  

   dense 
  the 
  following 
  account, 
  the 
  best 
  we 
  can 
  get 
  here, 
  of 
  their 
  migra- 
  

   tions, 
  by 
  Dr. 
  N. 
  T. 
  True, 
  communicated 
  to 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  H. 
  Scudder 
  and 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  in 
  full 
  in 
  the 
  "Final 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  

   of 
  Nebraska," 
  &c., 
  by 
  F. 
  V. 
  Hayden, 
  1872. 
  The 
  year 
  1821 
  or 
  1822 
  was 
  

   an 
  unusually 
  dry 
  season 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  months. 
  They 
  devoured 
  

   the 
  clover 
  and 
  herds-grass, 
  and 
  even 
  nibbled 
  the 
  rake 
  and 
  pitchfork 
  

   handles 
  made 
  of 
  white 
  ash. 
  "As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  hay 
  was 
  cut, 
  and 
  they 
  had 
  

   eaten 
  every 
  living 
  thing 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  they 
  removed 
  to 
  the 
  adjacent 
  

   crops 
  of 
  grain, 
  completely 
  stripping 
  the 
  leaves; 
  climbing 
  the 
  naked 
  

   stalks, 
  they 
  would 
  eat 
  oft' 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  wheat 
  and 
  rye 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  

  

  