14 THE RICE GRASSHOPPEE 



June. In 1910, the first emergence was observed at Ana- 

 vatti itself on the 8th July, while, in a neighbouring village, 

 they had begun hatching about ten days previously. In 

 1909, rain fell early in May, so that ploughing operations 

 began on the 8th of that month. In 1910, there was 

 practically no rain in May and in June rain fell in appreci- 

 able quantities first on the 22nd, while ploughing opera- 

 tions did not begin till the 7th July. While emergence is, 

 for the most part, completed within thirty or forty days, 

 there may be a few decidedly belated cases. Thus, we 

 have a record of one egg-mass which hatched as late as 

 the 24th August. 



The actual process of hatching is that usual among 

 grasshoppers. In the egg-mass as normally situated, the 

 eggs are placed, as already stated, so that the head of the 

 embryo grasshopper is pointed upwards. By means of a 

 peculiar convulsive movement, accompanied by a swelling 

 out of the body just behind the head, the shell is ruptured 

 and the young hopper, enclosed in a delicate membrane 

 (the amnion), makes its way out of the shell. From 

 here to the surface of the soil, the young hopper makes 

 its way normally by a series of worm-like movements. 

 The legs, which like the rest of the body are enclosed by 

 the amnion, are usually not at all used. Occasionally, 

 however, the young hopper extricates itself from the 

 anmion before reaching the surface (see Plate II, Fig. 3). 

 The original hole made by the female at the time of egg- 

 laying has, in most cases, been quite obliterated but the 

 young hoppers are quite able to force their way up through 

 the one or two inches of earth lying between the egg-mass 

 and the surface. 



As soon as the young hopper reaches the surface of 

 the soil, it proceeds to divest itself of its membranous 

 covering. This is split open just at the back of the head 

 and, by a series of contractive and expansive movements, 

 is worked gradually back over the body till it is finally 

 kicked or thrust of! as a sniall whitish crumpled mass by the 

 hind legs. A mass of these small white pellets is to be 

 seen about the exit hole of each hatched egg-mass and a 

 count of them enables us to estimate, with a fair degree of 

 accuracy, the number of eggs that have hatched from the 

 mass. As already pointed out by liiley and others, one of 

 the chief functions of this membranous covering seems to 



