Article beginning on page 64.
Psyche 8:64-66, 1897.

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PSYCHE.
64 May 1897.
Coleoptera are ventral, in Hymenoptera
dorsal, and in Hemiptera both dorsal
and ventral.
Not only has this method been found
to answer every purpose (both as to
utility, and beauty also - if neatly done) in connection with the preservation and
study of material in Coleoptcra, Hemip-
tera, and Hymenoptera, but it is a far
more rapid method for the minute
things than any other, and American
workers have no time to waste. I
would like to ask why this method can-
not be used for Micro-diptera? I can
see nothing to be gained by adhering to
the old methods of pinning, that in
which the cork and pith blocks are
used requiring the expenditure of too
great an amount of time. Up to a very
recent date most dipterists have insisted that it was absolutely necessary to pin
all Diptera, yet in no case at hand can
I find a good reason given. On the
contrary one of our best fliptwists
lately informed me that in future he
wished the micros all mounted on slips.
I use the moderately thin shellac glue
nnd have had no trouble with specimens
falling oft'. On the other hand, speci-
mens on the little pins in pith often
come loose and swing about, standing
at all angles and ruining the appearance of the collection. Not only is there a
great saving of time in
mounting on
slips, but there is far less injury to the specimen than in pinning, and it is
much more readily manipulated under
the microscope. I have used this method
in my own collection for some time and
think myself justified in recommencling
it to American collectors, though it
would undoubtedly horrify our patient
and long-suffering European brethren.
Many of us would be very glad Lo hear
from the dipterists regarding this malter. However, before any definite opinion is
rendered, specimens correctly mounted
by this method should be carefully exam- ined. I will gladly loan such specimens
from my own collection to any one will-
ing to pay postage 011 same.
NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND ACRID1DAE.-111. 0EDIPODINAE.-IV. BY ALBERT P. MORSE, WELLESLEY, MASS.
I 2. CHOKTOPHAGA Sauss.
Chortophapa Saussure 1884. Pro-
dron~us Oedipodiorum, 43, p.
18. Chottophaga viridifasciata DeG.
Figs. 18, r8a.
Acrydium viridifasciatum. De-
å´Geer Memoires d. Ins., iii, 498, pi.
42, fig* 6 (1773)-
Locusta { Tragoce$haZa) viridz@s-
ciata. Harris, 181.
Locusfa ( 7'rugoce$haZa) infztscata .
Harris, 182.
Locusts ( Trugoce$haZa) mdiata .
Harris, 183.
TragocephaZa infuscata. Scudder,
461 ; Thomas, I 02.
TrayocephaZu viridz~asciatu. Scud-
Pswht 8 064-66 (prt.1903) hfp //psyche aitclub o@!S.0064 htd



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May ,897 ] PSYCHE. 65
der, 461 ; Smith, - Me., 148, -Corm.,
374; Thomas, 103.
Chortophaga viridifasciata. Sau s-
sure, 72 ; Fernald, 40 ; Comstock, 104 ; Morse, 105 ; Beutenn~iiller, 295.
Chimarocefhala viridz~izsciata.
Comstock, 98.
A very full bibliography of this
species and interesting notes on varia-
tion are given by Scudder in Proc.
Boston soc. nat. hist., xvii, 481, - also Entom. notes, iv, So. In coloration,
dichromatism, form of head and char-
acter of haunts it is intermediate between the present group and the Tryxalinae,
with which it was formerly classed.
Antenna : f , 6-8 ; t ,6-8. 1-1. fen]. : f, 10.5-12.5; 9, 13-15.5. Teg.:
f, 16.8-20; 9, 18.645. Body: 8,
17-20 ; 9, 22-32. Total length : f ,
21. j-z6 ; 9 , 26-33 mm.
This is our only species of the sub-
family which is markedly dicliromatic,
presenting two distinct types of colora- tion, one entirely brown, the other
largely green but with a small amount
of brown upon the tegmina. These
two forms are commonly distinguished
by the names virp'kima for the green
and infuscata for the brown, applied
to them by Fabricius and Harris respec-
tively. Specimens are occasionally
found which can scarcely be referred
properly to either form, the color being a mixture. Rarely, the green is wholly
or largely replaced on the head, prono-
turn and hind femora by pink or reddish
purple.
This dicliromatism is largely, but not
entirely, characteristic of sex ; most of the females being green, of the males
brown.
Thus of 300 specimens in my
collection only about 18 per cent. of the females ale brown and 10 per cent. of the males green. This propoi tion is smaller than that given by Sc~~dder (Proc. B.
S. N. H., loc. cit.) but I have no doubt that it is much higher than exists in
nature, the common practice of the
collector being, naturally, to preserve
more examples of the scarcer form.
Brown specimens vary much in intensity
of hue according to age, those taken in
late July and August being notably dark
colored.
The hind tibiae differ much in color
in different specimens, being variously
tinted vi it11 brown, blue, pink or purple, without regard to sex.
Harris' name, radiata, proposed for
examples with infuscated wing-veins
and a slight difference in general color- ation, does not seem worthy of retention. This is the most abundant of our
springtime locusts. It is widely spread
over the country but is found most
plentifully in old, grassy, mowing fields and pastures, where it occurs both in
the drier and moister portions and is
seemingly equally at home in each.
It is readily secured by sweeping'.
While taking wing readily its flight is
short, seldom over a rod or two, and it
is not difficult to capture. The male
flies in a circlingcourse, and usually
stridulates, prod~~cinga fifin sharp crep- itation ; the femnle flies farther and
more directly.
The season in which this species may
be found is the most protracted of any
locust of the present group. It makes
its appearance in April,- 1 have taken




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6 6 1's ?YY?E. [May 18117.
it on the 24th, but it can probably be
found earlier - is abundant in May and
June, common in July, scarce in
August, and has been taken in Sept.,
Oct., and Nov. in the adult state.
Beutentniiller reports it as double-
brooJed at New York. The three
specimens which I have taken at Wel-
lesley on Nov. 8 and 17 are females in
good condition and probably had gained
their wings within a short time. The
young may be readily found in the
latter part of August and during the
rcinainder of the season in the haunts of the adult. On mild sunny days in
winter when the ground is bare they
may be met with along the edges of
woodlands on southward-facing slopes
and in sheltered nooks. Herc, in com-
pany with the young of II. tuber-
culatus and A. stilphzrrea, they may
be found hopping gaily about on the
approach of a stranger, pattering like
hailstones on the dry leaves underfoot.
This locust is doubtless found
throughout New England. Smith
I-eports it from Norway, Me. I have
specimens from various points in Vt., N. Hi, Mass., Conn., and from Martha's
Vineyard and Penikese Ids. Among
these are two worn males from Tucker-
man's Ravine on Sept. 6.
13. ENCOPTOLOPIVJS Scudd.
E~zcoptoZoffius Scu~ldcr 1875. Proc.
Boston soc. nat. hist., xvii, 478.
(Also
in Ent. notes, iv, 77.)
IQ. Encoptolophus sordidus Burn?.
Fig. 19.
Oed/$od.ii sordida. Burmeister,
Hanrlbuch cler Entomologie, ii, 643,
(1838). Scudder, 473 ; Smith,-Me.,
151,- Conn., 373 ; Thomas, I 16.
Locz<,sta nebulosa. Harris, 181.
Encoptolo$hits sordidus. Saussure,
77 ; Fernald, 41 ; Comstocl~, 103 ;
Morse, 10; ; Beutentniiller, 296.
Antenna: J' , 8-9 ; $ , 8-9. H.
r .
fern.: f, 11-12; $, 14-15.5. leg.:
8 , 16-19.5 ; 9, 20.5-24. Body : <? ,
7 7
19-21.5 ; ? , 24-35.
1 oh1 lellgth : f ,
31-28.5 ; 9, 28-32.5 mm.
This species is easily recognized, not
only from the venation of the tegmina,
but from its superficial appearance.
Though very plentiful in numbers its
range ofvariation is relatively small even in color, the ground tint being either
dull rusty, yellowish, or smoky brown.
It is a very common and widely clis-
trihutcd locust and is found most plen-
tifully in the drier poitions of old fields and pastures in late summer and fall,
at which season the dull rattling of the countless numbers which risc before the
feet of the strollcr on a sunny clay is
almost continual. Its flight is but short, seldom more than a rod or two in
length. Owing to its abundance it can
readily be obtained in numbers by
sweeping.
I have taken it on various dates from
Aug. 9 to Nov. 17. It is doubtless
found throughout New England ; I have
examples from Fryeburg and Deering,
Me. ; Hanover, (Weed), and Kingston,
(S. W. Denton), N. H. ; Brattleboro,
Vt, (MIS. J. B. Powers) ; Belmont
(Maynard), Adams, Wellesley and
vicinity, Mass. ; Canaan, Greenwich,
So. Kent, New Haven, Stamford, and
Thompson, Ct.




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