52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



and in some instances abundant, in lower lying and better cultivated 

 areas. According to Scudder, it appears to inhabit the entire United 

 States and the settled parts of Canada, excepting only Alaska, and 

 occurs south of our border as far as central Mexico. There are 

 records, open to question, of this insect having been taken in Arctic 

 America, Great Bear lake and Labrador. 



The life histor}^ of this insect is practically the same as that of the 

 lesser red-legged grasshopper and presumably, owing in considerable 

 measure to its preference for low lands, unfavorable climatic con- 

 ditions, enemies and parasites serve as fairly effective checks, and 

 very rarely do we find the serious local injury recorded of the pre- 

 ceding species. Lugger states that it is favored by dry summers. 

 This is probably due to the much greater relative freedom from fun- 

 gous infection, a disease fatal to many grasshoppers. 



These two closely related red-legged forms may be separated on 

 general characters from each other, according to Prof. F. L. Wash- 

 bum, as follows : 



The general color is tan or yellowish brown and the larger part of the hind 

 egs is marked by two distinct bars on the outer face, while the tip of the ab- 

 domen in the males always has a distinct notch. Lesser red-legged grasshopper. 



The general color is reddish brown and there are no distinct dark bars on the 

 hind legs. This species is usually smaller and shorter winged than the pre- 

 ceding. Red-legged grasshopper. 



The two-striped grasshopper, Melanoplus femoratus 

 Burm., is a large, yellowish brown form, easily distinguished when at 

 rest by the rather distinct yellowish subdorsal lines. The young 

 and newly transformed adults are greenish and the hind legs may be 

 as red as those of the typical red-legged grasshopper. This species 

 was associated in considerable nimibers, perhaps 20 per cent of the 

 whole, with the lesser red-legged grasshopper, Melanoplus at- 

 1 a n i s Riley. iVlone it would have been of comparatively little 

 economic importance though it is a voracious feeder. The trans- 

 formations of this insect are somewhat later than those of the 

 lesser red-legged grasshopper, since nymphs were rather commonly 

 present up to about the 20th of July. It is interesting to note 

 that in Minnesota Professor Somes classes this as perhaps the most 

 serious grasshopper pest in the state and adds that with a series 

 of favorable years it becomes very abundant and causes great 

 loss, especially where cereals are largely grown. The earliest oviposi- 

 tion noted by him was August 8th, and he cites one instance of 

 having secured three egg masses from one female, the niim- 

 ber of eggs in a pod varying from 39 to 82. In St Louis, 



