INTRODUCTION TO ZOOLOGY 



CHAPTER I 



THE GRASSHOPPER AND ITS ALLIES 



Relationships. The grasshopper belongs to an order 

 of insects called Orthoptera. 1 In this group of insects 2 

 there is an incomplete metamorphosis during development, 

 so that the general form of the young resembles that of 

 the adult. The anterior and posterior pairs of wings are 

 unequal. The jaws are adapted for biting. 



The name " grasshopper " is applied to two families of 

 insects ; namely, the Acrididse 3 and the Locustidse. Both 

 of these families have long hind legs, used in jumping, an 

 elongated body flattened from side to side, and a wedge- 

 shaped head directed downward ; they differ in the length 

 of the antennae. 



Habits. The Acrididae, or short-horned grasshoppers, 

 are found in both hemispheres. They live, for the most 

 part, on the ground in very diverse conditions, such as in 

 low, damp meadows or in dry uplands, arid deserts, and 

 rocky mountain sides. They are all herbivorous, and may 



1 6/>067TTepos, with straight (lying straight out) wings. 



2 The principal families of Orthoptera may be distinguished by the 

 key in the Appendix to this Chapter, p. 14. 



3 aKptdtov, a small grasshopper of Dioscorides. 



