﻿HABITS AND STRUCTURE OF INSECTS, 



91 



Fig. 88 shows the appearance of one of these cast-off skins. 



85. Grasshoppers are often infested with parasites. Fre- 

 quently the grasshoppers, in a sickly condition, are met with 

 clinging to the grass, or bushes. A careful examination of 

 them will show a number of little bright-red mites crawling 

 on them, or attached near the base of the wings, and evi- 

 dently the cause of their weakness. 



Curious cases have been found wherein these creatures 

 had met with fatal accidents. In their headlong fall to the 



Fig. 89. — Grasshopper pierced with Spear of Grass. 



ground, after one of their reckless jumps, they are liable to 

 have their armor pierced with the dried spears of grass. Fig. 

 89 represents a grasshopper which had been pierced in this 



