112 



THE STUDY OF INSECTS, 



Family LOCUSTID^; (Lo-cus'ti-dse). 

 The Long-horned Grasshoppers. 



Any one that is in the habit of lying in the tall grass of 

 meadows or pastures and watching the insects that can be 

 seen there is sure to be familiar with certain green grass- 

 hoppers, which attract attention by the extreme delicacy 

 and great length of their antennae. These are our most 

 common members of the Locustidae. The 

 antennae are much more slender than with 

 the short-horned grasshoppers or locusts, and 

 much longer, exceeding the body in length. 

 The tarsi are four-jointed. The ear-like 

 organs, when present, are situated near the 

 base of the fore tibiae (Fig. 125), and the 

 ovipositor is sword-shaped. 



In those species of this family in which the wings are 

 well developed we find the males provided with an elabo- 



FIG. 126. Wing-cover of 

 Male Meadow Grasshopper. 



FIG. 127. Wingf-cover of 

 Female Meadow Grasshopper. 



rate musical apparatus by means of which they call their 

 mates. This consists of a peculiar arrangement of the veins 

 and cells of a portion of each wing-cover near its base. This 

 arrangement differs in the different species ; but in each it is 



