The Life of the Grasshopper 



large sunken surface shaped like a curved 

 triangle and brownish in colour, with a dull- 

 yellow rim. It is a sort of escutcheon, em- 

 blazoned with heraldic devices. On the 

 under surface of the left wing-case, which is 

 folded over the right, two transversal, 

 parallel grooves are cut. The space between 

 them makes a ridge which constitutes the 

 bow. The latter, a brown spindle, has a set 

 of fine, very regular and very numerous 

 teeth. The mirror of the right wing-case is 

 almost circular, well framed and supplied 

 with a strong and prominent friction-nervure. 



The insect stridulates in July and August, 

 in the evening twilight, until close upon ten 

 o'clock. It produces a quick, rattling noise, 

 accompanied by a faint metallic clicking 

 which barely passes the border of perceptible 

 sounds. The abdomen, considerably low- 

 ered, throbs and beats the measure. This 

 goes on for irregular periods and suddenly 

 ceases; in between these periods there are 

 false starts reduced to a few strokes of the 

 bow; there are pauses and then the stridula- 

 tion is once more in full swing. 



All said, it is a very meagre performance, 

 greatly inferior in volume to that of the Dec- 

 ticus, not to be compared with the song of 



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