OF HARTING. 349 



Grasshopper (Acrida viridissima), unlike the last 

 species, is very musical, and in this particular emulates 

 the field cricket ; but, although it stridulates by means 

 of its wing-covers, these differ in their reticulation 

 from the same organs in the crickets, the difference, 

 however, is too unimportant to be dwelt upon here. 

 A very few individuals of this species may be met 

 with in some seasons in the lowland meadows, par- 

 ticularly those near the water, but it is not of 

 sufficiently frequent occurrence to afford us many 

 opportunities of testing the accuracy of the Ettrick 

 Shepherd's Couplet : 



" Elate on the fern branch the grasshopper sings, 

 And away in the midst of his roundelay springs." 



It does not, however, require a minute examination 

 of its powerful hind legs to be convinced of the fact 

 that it is quite capable of taking an extraordinary leap ; 

 but, although it can at the same time bring into play 

 a pair of wings more than three inches in expanse, it 

 generally soon alights again, and certainly does not 

 appear to be equal to so continuous a flight as some 

 of the species in the next family. 



The Migratory Locusts, for instance, one remarkable 

 species of which, the notorious Locusta migratoria, we 

 once met with at Harting. It was caught by one of 

 the farm labourers, and may, we think, have crossed 

 the Channel as a straggler from a more or less 

 numerous flight of these insects on the Continent. 

 What gives colour to this supposition, is the fact that 

 we obtained another live individual of the same species, 

 and in the same season, from the vicinity of Petworth, 

 and a few other dead ones were found about the same 

 time washed ashore on the eastern coast. We may 

 fairly claim this celebrated species, then, as an occa- 

 sional visitant, and fortunate it is for us that it has 

 hitherto put in so unostentatious an appearance 

 amongst us. When we read of whole fields of growing 



