385 



OF THE GRASSHOPFER, THE LOCUST, AND THE 

 CRICKET. 



Of this variegated tribe of insects, the little grass- 

 hopper, that breeds in such abundance in every mea- 

 dow, and continues its chirping throughout spring and 

 summer, is the one which, from being best known, we 

 shall choose to describe. The colour of the grasshop- 

 per resembles that of a leaf, though the back is marked 

 with brown streaks : the shape of the head is like that 

 of a horse ; and the mouth is covered by a kind of 

 round buckler, and armed with sharp teeth : it has 

 three pair of legs, the hinder of which are much longer 

 than those in front ; and two pair of wings, which like- 

 wise vary in size : the belly is large, and composed of 

 eight rings, the internal construction of which resem- 

 bles that of a cow : the feelers are very long and point- 

 ed ; and it has two small prominent eyes : the tail is co- 

 vered with down, like that of a rat, but forked, instead 

 of terminating in a point ; and the end of it, Nature 

 has furnished with a two-edged instrument, which the 

 creature can sheath or unsheath at will. 



With this instrument the grasshopper is enabled to 

 pierce a hole in the earth, where it carefully deposits 

 near a hundred and fifty eggs, which generally happens 

 about the end of autumn ; and they remain in that situ- 

 ation until the beginning of May, when the animating 

 force of the sun's influence calls the little iusect into 

 life. Upon the first appearance of motion amongst 

 them, their forms do not appear larger than that of a 

 flea; and their colour goes through a variety of changes, 

 before it acquires the natural one of green. For some 

 time their wings remain folded close to their sides, and 

 they have only the power of using their legs ; but at 



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