202 ORTHOPTERA OF NOVA SCOTIA. PIERS. 



of a few other iorms, and disclose any errors that may have 

 crept into this contribution; but in the meanwhile it will 

 present what is now known on the subject. 



One, and possibly the chief reason, whj- so very little 

 attention has been given in this province, as well as else- 

 where, to the study of these noxious insects, is the scarcity 

 of works dealing with the whole order. In fact no general 

 manual on the Orthoptera of North America is available, 

 and the student has to consult many monographs in order 

 to determine his specimens and to learn their habits. This 

 has made the subject one which can only be taken up b}" a 

 specialist; whereas, it should be possil^le for any intelligent 

 farmer, after a little practice, to ascertain just what Ortho- 

 ptera occur on his land, and which species are most liable 

 to cause damage, for it is well known that many of them 

 do great injury to crops. 



In order, therefore, to help the beginner here, I will 

 give descriptions of all our Nova Scotian species, with "kej's" 

 to more readily assist in identification, and notes on general 

 distribution, in addition to more detailed observations on 

 the occurrence and habits of the various species as observed 

 in this province. All this will be useful in assisting 

 those who really should know more than they do about 

 insects of such economic importance, and who, no doubt, 

 would gladly inform themselves on the subject if they had 

 literature bearing directlv on conditions in their own region. 

 Orthopterists in general will also be interested in knowing 

 what forms extend this far north, as it will aid them in 

 working out the geographic range of the various North 

 American species. 



The purposes of this paper, therefore, are to enumerate 

 all the species or forms known to occur here; to describe 

 them so that the agriculturist, the local economic entomo- 

 logist, and others, may i)e able to readily distinguish them; 

 to present information as to their habits; to indicate what 



