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depositing its eggs, all of these species now infesting Central Texas ap- 

 pear to find more suitable conditions among rank herbage for the dep- 

 osition of their eggs and subsequent development of the young larvae. 

 The large species especially finds the protected roots of grasses and 

 corn best adapted to the sheltering of its eggs, and almost invariably 

 selects the varieties which grow in clumps for this purpose. In digging 

 I have found as many as 8 or 10 egg-pods inserted among the root-stalks 

 of a single clump of grass. Possibly the sheltered nature of these eggs 

 protects them from the numerous parasites which attack those of the 

 Migratory and other species which deposit in the unprotected ground. 

 It is asserted by different persons in this region that the present species 

 lays an average of 150 eggs to the pod, which, judging from the frag- 

 ments of egg-shells found by digging, is nearly correct; at any rate the 

 estimate is not too high. Egg-depositing with this species commences 

 rather later than with some of the other representatives of the genus, 

 but just at what date I did not learn. There is but a single pod formed 

 by an insect, the entire complement of eggs being deposited at once. 



The larvae commence hatching during the latter part of March and 

 continue to appear up to the middle of April, according to the forward- 

 ness or backwardness of the season. Wet warm weather favors the 

 hatching, while dry weather rather retards the process. The young 

 molt five times, at intervals of from 12 to 20 days, according to the con- 

 dition of the weather. Dry weather with hot days retards, while damp 

 or wet weather favors this process among insects by keeping the exu- 

 viae pliable during molting, as well as in furnishing the necessary moist- 

 ure required in growth. The winged or mature insects appear about 

 the middle of July or a little earlier and begin to couple soon afterward, 

 thus completing the cycle. 



Their mode of attack does not differ greatly from that of M. spretus, 

 save in that the latter begin upon the crops immediately after hatching, 

 while these species do not. They wait until they are from three to four 

 weeks old before venturing far from the places of hatching. Like that 

 species they have the habit of huddling together upon plants and among 

 grasses and debris during cool nights and on cloudy days. This appears 

 to be a trait common to all insects when present in large numbers, and 

 must be the result of some special instinct. When about half- grown the 

 larvae become pretty well scattered over the fields and do not hop back 

 to the weed patches on the outskirts in the evening, as they do while 

 younger and when first beginning their attacks upon the crops. The 

 molting is the same as with other locusts, and need not here be rede- 

 scribed. The grown hoppers do not migrate by flight, but do sometimes 

 move in concert in certain directions by jumping. This can hardly be 

 termed migration, since the change of location is merely performed for 

 the purpose of obtaining food, while the act of migrating' is towards ob- 

 taining more decided results. When feeding they can be driven like 

 other locusts, and this trait in their nature has been taken advantage 



