384 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



wings.* Here she at once inserts her mouth to find a delicious 

 potion secreted for her special needs, and which she devours 

 ravenously, as depicted in our illustration. The male, in the 

 meantime, may or may not cease his singing, but while she is 

 availing herself of the curious plasmatic drink, his tegniina are 

 continually elevated and his wings, which are folded at his sides, 

 undergo a slight rhythmical motion in and out, lasting during 

 the five to ten minutes she is usually content to stay. When 

 she moves away he backs toward her, again elevating his 

 tegmina and repeating his song. Similarly affected by his 

 overtures, and remembering the reward of sweets awaiting her 

 return, she again mounts his body and proceeds to partake from 

 his loving cup. These curious executions are often repeated 

 several times as a preliminary to their nuptial union. During 

 the mating of meadow crickets a sperm sac is fastened by the 

 male below the base of the female ovipositor, and from this 

 sac the sperm is supposed to enter the oviduct. This sperm 

 sac is carried about for a short time only, being finally devoured 

 by the female. 



The stridulating organs of this species, as well as the secreting 

 compound gland on the back of the thorax, furnish an excel- 

 lent case of secondary sexual organs. It is in such organs as 

 these that sexual selection is supposed to operate in their pro- 

 duction. Even opponents of the theory of sexual selection, 

 like Weismann, believed that the stridulating organs in the 

 Orthoptera are thus accounted for. 



We have frequently observed the males in active combat 

 over the possession of the female. As a result of these strug- 

 gles later on in the season the males become decidedly dilapi- 

 dated in appearance, the legs and wings Jbaving suffered more 

 or less destruction as the result of the many contests for 

 supremacy. 



The method employed in laying their eggs is most interesting. 



1 This is an abstract of an article by the author appearing in the American 

 Naturalist, January, 1905. Researches on the anatomical structure of this 

 compound gland are in preparation and will be published in a technical journal. 

 Briefly stated, this peculiar secretion is supplied by a series of glands in 

 the hypodermal cells which find exit through a series of hairs or setae and have 

 no connection with the true sexual organs, yet acting as secondary sexual 

 organs. 



