550 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVI, No. II 
1,506 feet, November, E. G. Kelly; Liberal, altitude 2,839 f ee L July, J. S. Wade; 
McFarland, altitude 1,021 feet, October, E. G. Kelly; McPherson, altitude 1,490 feet, 
October, W. Knaus; Marysville, altitude 1,154 feet, October, E. G. Kelly; Meade, 
altitude 2,503 feet, July, J. S. Wade; Mulvane, altitude 1,223 ^ eet ; September, V. 
King; Norton, altitude 2,275 feet, August, J. S. Wade; Plains, altitude 2,762 feet, 
July, J. S. Wade; Pratt, altitude 1,887 feet, November, E. G. Kelly; Riley County, 
July, August, E. A. Popenoe (3, p. 203); Salina, altitude 1,226 feet, October, E. G. 
Kelly; Scott City, altitude 2,971 feet, August, J. S. Wade; Sedgwick, altitude, 1,375 
feet, September, E. G. Kelly; Wallace County, altitude 3,000 feet, F. H. Snow ( 26 , p. 
68, 61 ); Wellington, altitude 1,205 feet, March to November, E. G. Kelly, H. E. 
Smith, V. King, and J. S. Wade; Wilson, altitude 1,607 August, V. King, J. S. 
Wade, October, E. G. Kelly; Winfield, altitude 1,114 feet, August, T. S. Wilson; 
Winona, altitude, 3,322 feet, April, E. G. Kelly. 
Nebraska; Alliance, altitude 3,971 feet, H. F. Wickham, August; Alma, altitude 
I, 996 feet, J. S. Wade, August to September; Ashland, altitude 1,086 feet, October, 
J. S. Wade; Beaver City, altitude 2,147 f ee L September, J. S. Wade; Belvidere, 
altitude 1,496 feet, May, C. E. Ward(22); Dodge County, Riley, Hubbard and Schwarz, 
Blaisdell (3, p. 203); Edgar, altitude 1,724feet, October, E. G. Kelly; Elwood, altitude 
2,765 feet, November, J. S. Wade; Fairbury, altitude 1,317 feet, October, E. G. Kelly; 
Hastings, altitude 1,932 feet, October, J. S. Wade; Holdrege, altitude 2,327 feet, 
October, E. G. Kelly; Oxford, altitude 2,077 feet, October, E. G. Kelly; York, altitude 
1,634 feet, April, J. S. Wade. 
New Mexico: Chico, altitude 6,882 feet, September, D. J. Caffrey; Clayton, altitude 
5,054 feet, September, H. F. Wickham; Clovis, August, H. F. Wickham; Koehler, 
June, T. S. Wilson, October, D. J. Caffrey; Las Vegas, altitude 6,391 feet, September, 
D. J. Caffrey; Maxwell, altitude 5,894 feet, May, October, D. J. Caffrey; Vaughn, 
September, H. F. Wickham. 
Oklahoma: Alva, altitude 1,336 feet, E. G. Kelly, August; Chickasha, altitude 
1,091 feet, October, T. S. Wilson; El Reno, altitude 1,363 feet, June, E. G. Kelly; 
Mangum, September, Coll. U. S. Nat. Mus.; Texhoma, altitude 3,483 feet, November, 
E. G. Kelly; Woodward, altitude 1,893 feet, July, B. G. Kelly. 
South Dakota: Buffalo Gap, altitude 3,257 feet, A. E. Hall (3, p. 203 ); Mitchell, 
altitude 1,297 feet, August, H. F. Wickham; Volga, E. C. Van Dyke (3, p. 203). 
Texas: Amarillo, altitude 3,683 feet, August. H. F. Wickham; Cotulla, altitude 
442 feet, May, F. C. Pratt; Denton, altitude 620 feet, March, F. C. Bishopp; Oakville, 
December, J. D. Mitchell ( 13 , p. 31); Fredericksborough, May, J. D. Mitchell; Hebbem- 
ville, August, J. D. Mitchell; Knickerbocker, November, F. C. Pratt; Maverick County, 
May, J. D. Mitchell; Oakville; Plano, altitude 665 feet, July, E. S. Tucker; Rio Frio, 
May, F. C. Pratt; Sabine, altitude 17 feet, June, F. C. Pratt; Sherman, altitude 728 
feet; “Texas,” C. V. Riley (3, p. 203). 
It is exceedingly probable that this insect has a wider distribution than 
the existing records indicate, and it is quite possible that it may occur 
over the greater part of the arid and semiarid regions of the Middle 
Western States. Wickham (35, p. 86) in 1890 says: 
E. suturalis I never took west of Albuquerque, where it is rather rare. 
In a discussion by the senior writer (30, p. 2-3) in 1921 of the ecological 
factors governing the distribution of this and related species, it was 
pointed out that its distribution is closely related to the marked varia¬ 
tions of altitude from approximately sea level to over 6,000 feet and to 
the occurrence of soils of light, sandy type, as it is known that the larval 
stages thrive best in such soil. The adults, however, have been collected 
in small numbers several miles from such sandy locations. 
FOOD PLANTS 
Normally this insect fed upon the seed, root systems, and other portions 
of native grasses and other plants, upon dead vegetable matter in the soil, 
and occasionally upon living and dead animal tissue. As the prairies 
rapidly became settled farther and farther westward, however, these 
food plants were more and more replaced by cultivated crops, especially 
by winter wheat and other cereals, the grain of which when available 
