The White-faced Decticus: the Eggs 



them into the earth one by one or in very 

 small clusters. 



The hatching is worth examination; I will 

 explain why presently. I therefore gather 

 plenty of eggs of the big Decticus at the end 

 of August and place them in a small glass 

 jar with a layer of sand. Without under- 

 going any apparent modification, they spend 

 eight months here under cover, sheltered 

 from the frosts, the showers and the over- 

 powering heat of the sun that would await 

 them under natural conditions. 



When June comes, I often meet young 

 Dectici in the fields. Some are already half 

 their adult size, which is evidence of an early 

 appearance dating back to the first fine days 

 of the year. Nevertheless my jar shows no 

 signs of any imminent hatching. I find the 

 eggs just as I gathered them nine months 

 ago, neither wrinkled nor tarnished, wear- 

 ing, on the contrary, a most healthy look. 

 What causes this indefinitely prolonged de- 

 lay? 



A suspicion occurs to me. The eggs of 

 the Grasshopper tribe are planted in the 

 earth like seeds. They are there exposed, 

 without any kind of protection, to the watery 

 influence of the snow and the rain. Those 

 239 



