FAMILY IV.-WALKING-STICKS. 101 



and glossy shell, with a white edge enclosing a black line on 

 one side and a brown top beautifull}' sculptured, which acts as 

 a sort of stopper to each box-like egg. The eggs are not glued 

 or fastened to any object, but are simply dropped to the 

 ground, where they remain until the succeeding year; some- 

 times they do not hatch until the second year. The young 

 walking-sticks resemble the old ones except in size; they are 

 also brighter in color, and molt but twice. 



This species is a very general feeder, and the foliage of all 

 our trees and bushes, excepting the evergreens, is eaten. 

 Sometimes these insects become very numerous, and in such 

 a case can seriously injure our shade and forest trees. Being 

 insects with chewang mouths, and very slow in all their 

 motions, they can easily be killed by poisoning their food 

 with some of the arsenical poisons. 



The Acrididse and the two following families of ortho- 

 ptera form the section Saltatoria or Jumpers. All insects 

 belonging to this section have theirhind legs fitted for jump- 

 ing, the femora being either ver^- much stouter or longer, or 

 both stouter and longer than those of the other legs. The 

 peculiar parallel "fish-bone" markings seen upon them is pro- 

 duced by the attachment of the powerful muscles inside. The 

 females in this section are usually furnished with more or less 

 prominent ovipositors, and the wings of the immature 

 forms (ptipcEJ are in an inverted position. Many species, 

 especialU' among the Acrididae, possess in the adult state 

 only rudimentar\' wings and resemble immature insects. By 

 carefully looking at the wings it wmU be seen that the adult 

 insects, even the short-winged ones, have the tegmina in the 

 proper position, while in the immature insects they are 

 folded beneath the wings ; the principal veins of the wing- 

 covers and wings of the immature insects curve downward 

 instead of upward. 



