The Life of the Grasshopper 



perpendicularly, head downwards. This 

 somersault allows him to free his wings and 

 legs, after the head and chest have already 

 made their appearance by cracking the 

 armour under the pressure of a hernia. 

 Now comes the time to free the end of the 

 abdomen, the pivot of this inverted attitude. 

 For this purpose, the insect, with a laborious 

 movement of its back, draws itself up, brings 

 its head to the top again and hooks itself 

 with its fore-claws to the cast skin. A fresh 

 support is thus obtained, enabling it to pull 

 the tip of its abdomen from its sheath. 



There are therefore two means of sup- 

 port: first the end of the belly and then the 

 front claws; and there are two principal 

 movements : in the first place the downward 

 somersault, in the second place the return to 

 the normal position. These gymnastics de- 

 mand that the larva shall fix itself to a twig, 

 head upwards, and that it shall have a free 

 space beneath it. Suppose that these con- 

 ditions were lacking, thanks to my wiles : 

 what would happen? That remained to 

 be seen. 



I tie a thread to the end of one of the 

 hind-legs and hang the larva up in the peace- 

 ful atmosphere of a test-tube. My thread 



46 



