308 ORTHOPTERA OF NOVA SCOTIA.- — PIERS. 



Family Tettigoniid.^ (Long-horned Grasshoppers, 

 Katydids, Camel Crickets, etc.) 

 {LocustidcB of former writers.) 

 This family is easily separated from the Acrididce by 

 the long bristle-shaped antennce, which are much longer than 

 the body, and the long ovipositor of the female; while from the 

 GrylUd(B it is distinguished by the four-jointed tarsi and the 

 sloping sides of the wing-cover which meet in an acute ridge 

 above. The ovipositor forms a strongly compressed, elong- 

 ated, generally sword-shaped blade, the tip not expanded. 

 The stridulating or calling organs of the male, when present 

 in the winged species*, are situated just behind the pronotum, 

 at the base of the sub-triangular overlapping dorsal area of 

 the wing-covers, and usually consist of a transparent reso- 

 nant membrane of somewhat rounded form, crossed by a 

 prominent curved vein which on its under side bears a row 

 of minute file-like teeth. In stridulating, the wing-covers 

 are parted and then brought together again, thus rasping 

 these, teeth over a vein on the upper surface of the under 

 wing-cover, and so producing the loud strident call which 

 is such a typical nocturnal sound in the country. These 

 notes differ in different species, and somewhat resemble 

 the word "katydid" in the true Katydid, Cyrtophyllus 

 psrspicillatus, which does not occur in this province. In 

 our own species, however, the note has no resemblance 

 whatever to that sound. The mandibles are well developed, 

 which enables the insect to dig into plant tissue and eat 

 grass seeds as many of them do; and being greedy feeders 

 they produce considerable damage to vegetation, but fortu- 

 nately mostly of the uncultivated kinds. The manner 

 of oviposition differs in the various subfamilies: in the 

 Phaneropterince, which are arboreal, the eggs are usually 

 attached in double rows to the exterior of small twigs, or 

 are inserted in the edges of leaves, and the ovipositor is 



♦The Stone Crickuta (.SlenopeliwiliiKB) iire winnlesa and therefore silent. 



