The Green Grasshopper 



ing it, of course, or allowing the contents to 

 flow forth. She strips its surface by remov- 

 ing tiny shreds, which she chews in a lei- 

 surely fashion and swallows. This fastidi- 

 ous consuming by atoms is continued for a 

 whole afternoon. Next day the raspberry 

 has disappeared; the whole of it has been 

 gulped down during the night. 



At other times the end is less quick and, 

 above all, less repulsive. I have kept a note 

 of an Ephippiger who was dragging her 

 satchel along the ground and nibbling at it 

 from time to time. The soil is uneven and 

 rugged, having been recently turned over 

 with the blade of a knife. The raspberry- 

 like capsule picks up grains of sand and little 

 clods of earth, which increase the weight of 

 the load considerably, though the insect ap- 

 pears to pay no heed to it. Sometimes the 

 carting becomes laborious, because the load 

 sticks to some bit of earth that refuses to 

 move. In spite of the efforts made to re- 

 lease the thing, it does not become detached 

 from the point where it hangs under the 

 ovipositor, thus proving that it possesses no 

 small power of adhesion. 



All through the evening, the Ephippiger 

 roams about aimlessly, now on the wire- 



297 



