The Life of the Grasshopper 



perpendicularly, head downwards. This 

 somersault allows him to free his wings and 

 legs, after the head and chest have already- 

 made their appearance by cracking the 

 armour under the pressure of a hernia. 

 Now comes the time to free the end of the 

 abdomen, the pivot of this inverted attitude. 

 For this purpose, the insect, with a laborious 

 movement of its back, draws itself up, brings 

 its head to the top again and hooks itself 

 with its fore-claws to the cast skin. A fresh 

 support is thus obtained, enabling it to pull 

 the tip of its abdomen from its sheath. 



There are therefore two means of sup- 

 port : first the end of the belly and then the 

 front claws; and there are two principal 

 movements : in the first place the downward 

 somersault, in the second place the return to 

 the normal position. These gymnastics de- 

 mand that the larva shall fix itself to a twig, 

 head upwards, and that it shall have a free 

 space beneath it. Suppose that these con- 

 ditions were lacking, thanks to my wiles : 

 what would happen? That remained to 

 be seen. 



I tie a thread to the end of one of the 

 hind-legs and hang the larva up in the peace- 

 ful atmosphere of a test-tube. My thread 



46 



