406 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



The Green-legged Locust 



In another chapter on the Habitat of the Orthoptera, I 

 have given a view of a landscape, showing the environment of 

 locusts, and also giving a list of the Orthoptera found within 

 the area shown. The green-legged locust, Melanoplus viridipes, 

 shown in the plate illustration, prefers the seclusion of the 

 forest, living on the shadowy ground among the fallen dried 

 leaves, such as the beech, hard maple, lime, and hickory. The 

 dense undergrowth toward the edge of the woods, interior con- 

 sisted principally of spice brush, elderberry, nettle, sumach, 

 poison ivy, sarsaparilla, and a scattering growth of wild black- 

 berry brambles. In this dense undergrowth on the ground, 

 there were small areas of leaf-covered humus, free from vege- 

 tation, which were exposed to view. It was in these situations, 

 covering about an acre of ground, that the short-winged green 

 locust gathered in little scattered communities of three to half 

 a dozen individuals. This species was not alone here, for it was 

 sometimes accompanied by another short-winged species, the 

 sprinkled locust, which Is described at length in another chapter. 



The green-legged species is very inconspicuous, living almost 

 entirely on the ground; occasionally, however, I found one 

 perched on the green leaves of the low herbage, where it feeds 

 on the leaves. They were not easily detected among the fallen 

 leaves, owing to the harmony of their colors with the back- 

 ground, and sometimes I recognized their presence only when 

 the herbage near the ground was suddenly shaken by the con- 

 tact of the male and as it jumped swiftly to escape. The 

 female is more clumsy than the male; the latter often makes a 

 succession of rapid jumps on the bed of the forest, covering a 

 distance of a yard or two. If pursued further, it not infre- 

 quently hides under the leaves. 



This species was found between the middle of June and the 

 middle of August in the woods mentioned, but after the latter 

 date, it was replaced by Blatchley's locust, a closely allied 

 species. On August fourth a number of nymphs were found, 

 which were about to become mature. The life history of this 

 species, like many of our locusts, is still unknown. At one time, 

 July thirteenth, I found a female on a rotten stump and possibly 

 it was laying its eggs there. 



