I' 



162 THE GRYLLTNA. 



we shall find close to their inner margin, and near the 

 base, a small mirror-like spot, of a substance the 

 appearance of which has been compared to talc, and 

 surrounded by very prominent nervures. In opening 

 and closing the elytra these talc-like spots, with their 

 strong veins, pass over each other, and it is by the 

 rapid friction of these that the stridulation is pro- 

 duced. It is to be observed that the construction of 

 the spots differs in the two elytra, so that the chirp- 

 ing can only be eflPected when the wing-cases are 

 arranged in a particular manner. The left-hand 

 elytron is usually uppermost. The song of the male, 

 both in these insects and in the other grasshoppers, is 

 doubtless intended as a serenade to his mistress, and 

 in the case of the large green species its effect in 

 melting the heart of the lady has been recorded by 

 Roesel. That author tells us that the female on 

 hearing the song of her lover immediately comes to 

 him, and announces her presence by patting him with 

 her antennae. The gentleman immediately ceases his 

 music, but before proceeding to any active demon- 

 strations of the ardour of his affection, endeavours 

 first of aU to feel his way to a knowledge of his 

 partner^ s disposition towards him by the agency of 

 the same organs by which she had intimated the fact 

 of her approach. 



The eggs of these insects are deposited in the 

 ground by the female, which generally selects a spot 

 where the soil is rather light for this purpose. 

 Having found a suitable locality, she proceeds to 

 thrust her ovipositor as far as she can into the ground, 

 when she separates the plates of which it is composed, 

 and allows several eggs to fall into the canity thus 

 formed. She then moves off to another spot, and 



