30 
During more recent years, however, they have been less numerous, and 
hence but little has been heard of them. The true home of one of these 
insects is the great plains of the Snake Eiver, where sage brush reigns 
supreme as the vegetable product of the country. Beyond this limi ted 
region the insect is only occasionally met with in droves. Its distribu- 
tion reaches over the Great Salt Lake Basin into northern Oregon, on 
the Spokane Plateau of eastern Washington, into a few of the valleys 
of western Montana, and at long intervals it is even met with in western 
Wyoming. In addition to this species, which has been called Anabrm 
simplex, there are quite a number of allied species, to be met with in the 
same region as well as elsewhere. The most of them are, however, den- 
izens of the arid and semi- arid regions of the West and Southwest, where 
they either wander about singly or in pairs, feeding upon the scant 
A^egetation. As a rule each species is confined to a rather limited area, 
and prefers some special plant as its leading diet. As with all other 
rules, there are exceptions to this one also. A few species of these 
crickets have a very wide distribution and enjoy a greatly varied diet. 
Some species are inhabitants of elevated mountain slopes and valleys, 
while others occur far out on the grassy plains of Nebraska and Kansas. 
As a group this subfamily DecticidinWj among the other Orthoptera, 
has been greatly neglected in our country. But few of the forms have 
thus far even been honored with a scientific name, to say nothing of 
their life -histories, habits, enemies, etc., which are still to be learned. 
Truly, they have thus far been a neglected lot ! 
The reason for my speaking of these crickets now is the reappearance 
of two species of them during the past season in great numbers over 
a considerable territory. Early in July it was known that a swarm 
of Anabrus simplex was forming somewhere in the region between 
Mountain Home and the Camas Prairie country, where they had 
hatched earlier in the season from eggs laid last fall. After forming, 
this main swarm of the insect started in a northeasterly direction, 
crossing the divide and entering the prairie nearly south of the town 
of Soldier. After entering the valley most of the insects kept right on 
their course which they had apparently chosen, but many of them left 
the main body and scattered over the whole region drained by the 
Malade. Judging from the information obtainable, this must have 
been a very large swarm indeed, for it was claimed that the insects 
covered a tract nearly or quite 3 miles wide by 9 miles long. I first 
met the insect in considerable numbers a couple of miles out from 
Hailey, and found them more or less plentiful at various points along 
the road for 20 miles. They were seen again a couple of days later in 
the foothills north and west of Soldier, where a few of them were still 
apparently depositing eggs. While engaged in this act the female 
becomes so intent upon her work that she can be approached and 
watched without being at all disturbed. The long strong ovipositor 
is gradually worked into the hard earth by a series of backward and 
