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 w r ill 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 



