Audio-spectrographic Analysis of the song of the Cone-Headed Grasshopper, Neoconocephalus ensiger (Harris) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

The song of Neoconocephalus ensiger has been described as consisting of a rapid series of somewhat lisping notes that sound like chwi (Scudder 1875), tsip (Allard 1911), or zick (Cantrall 193). Pierce (1948, p. 195) states taht the notes have a frequency of 13,700 cycles per second (a pitch very near the second A above the highest note on the piano), and are 0,033 sec. in length separated by silent intervals 0.052 sec. in length. This writer cannot hear frequencies as high as 13,700 cps, yet has no difficulty in hearing the song of this insect; it would tus appear that something is wrong with Pierce's figures of 13,700 cps.

On August 24, 1953, a male of this species was collected in a grassy field in Bremen Twp., Lincoln Co., Maine; the insect was caged and later the same day a recording was made of its song. The recording was made with a Magnemite tape recorder, using a taoe speed of 15 in. per sec; the insect was baout 8 in. from the microphone. The specimen adn recording are in the writer's collection.