MORSE: ORTMOPTERA OF NEW ENGLAND. 403 
abdomen and feeds upon the allurinp; substance, Kivinn liiiii an 
advantageous opportunity to effect niatinj;. 
In ovipositing, the female first selects a suitable spot, which 
differs with the species, and prepares it by chewing a small hole 
in the bark. This done she inserts the tip of her ovipositor, 
drills a hole by twists and turns of the abdomen, and enlarj^es 
it by repeated insertions and withdrawals of her ovipositor. The 
egg is then laid, a small amount of mucilaginous fluid discharged 
into the hole, and the ovipositor withdrawn. She then plugs 
the mouth of the hole with bits of chewed bark or excrement, 
carefully packing it in and sealing the opening. The whole pro- 
cedure requires from fifteen minutes to an hour. In most species 
a hole is drilled for each egg, but in some cases a pair or even sev- 
eral eggs are inserted through a single opening but in different 
directions. The eggs are elongate, cylindiical, slightly curved, 
and one end is ornamented with minute projections arranged like 
the scales of a pine cone. 
Tree-crickets are much more plentiful in southern than in 
northern New England, and the northern limits of the ranges of 
our various species are unknown, few observations and speci- 
mens being available. 
Key to the Species of New England Tree-crickets. 
A. Hind tibiae armed with several pairs of weak spines and serrations between 
them; hind wings but little longer than tegmina. 
B. First and second joints of antennae each with but one black spot on 
underside, that on the first joint situated on a swelUng. 
C. Both spots more or less circular. 
Snowy Tree-cricket, Oecanthus niveus, p. 404. 
CC. Basal spot greatly elongate. 
D. Basal spot J-shaped. 
Narrow-winged Tree-cricket, Oe. angustipennis, p. 406. 
DD. Basal spot straight, club-shaped. 
Davis' Tree-cricket, Oe. exclamationis, p. 407. 
BB. First and second joints of antennae either black or each with two 
black spots on underside, those on basal joint sometimes connected. 
E. Underside of abdomen pale, whitish. Antennal spots rather nar- 
row, distinct, the outer spot on the first joint varying from round to 
triangular and oblique. 
Four-spotted Tree-cricket, Oe. quadrijmnctatus, (see footnote, 
p. 404) p. 410. 
EE. Underside of abdomen dark. 
F. Underside of abdomen black. Antennae, head, and pronotum 
