The Life of the Grasshopper 



soil, which, consisting in my cages of sifted 

 earth, presents no serious resistance. The 

 ovipositor therefore descends without hesita- 

 tion and enters up to the hilt, that is to say, 

 to a depth of about an inch. 



For nearly fifteen minutes, absolute im- 

 mobility. This is the time when the eggs 

 are being laid. At last the sabre comes up 

 a little way and the abdomen swings briskly 

 from side to side, communicating an alter- 

 nate transversal movement to the implement. 

 This tends to scrape out and widen the 

 sunken hole; it also has the effect of releasing 

 from the walls earthy materials which fill up 

 the bottom of the cavity. Thereupon the 

 ovipositor, which is half in and half out, 

 rams down this dust. It comes up a short 

 distance and then dips repeatedly, with a 

 sudden, jerky movement. We should work 

 in the same way with a stick to ram down 

 the earth in a perpendicular hole. Thus 

 alternating the transversal swing of the 

 sabre with the blows of the rammer, the 

 mother covers up the well pretty quickly. 



The external traces of the work have still 

 to be done away with. The insect's legs, 

 which I expected to see brought into play, 

 remain inactive and keep the position 



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