ORDER ORTHOPTERA. 19 



phasmid the large handsome flying wings are of 

 a mottled brown colour. Some of the short-horned 

 grasshoppers also have beautiful flying wings in 

 tones of yellow, orange, and brown. 



Some of the phasmids have short tegmina, and 

 long flying wings: in this case there is a linear 

 band of the flying-wing which is hard and is ex- 

 posed : the softer part of the flying-wing folds under 

 this. 



Note that most flying-wings in this Order have a 

 harder supporting band in the upper part of the 

 wings. 



The Orthopterous insects on the whole have not 

 good flight, and in any case it is the male which 

 usually has the stronger flight. One exception to 

 this rule is the plague locust which flies across the 

 country and ruins crops. This insect is a'rmed 

 with special internal air sacs which enable it to 

 keep up sustained flight in its migrations. -Orthop- 

 terous insects rely on peaceful means of defence, 

 showing protective colouration ; such can be seen in 

 the short-horned grasshoppers. Those which fly ac- 

 ross the country are mottled in colour and can hard- 

 ly be distinguished from the colour of the ground: 

 or in other species they resemble blades of grass. 

 Phasmids have protective mimicry of sticks and 

 leaves (hence called leaf and stick insects). Phas- 

 gonurids which have long antennae, resemble 

 leaves. Cockroaches take another means of evading 

 an enemy — they decamp, and being narrow and 

 compressed vertically, they can slip into cracks. 

 Phasmids and mantids show great muscular con- 



