KATYDIDS AND THEIR KIN. 237 



As is well known, the male of each species of grass- 

 hopper has the power of making a peculiar noise, or 

 "strid illation," as it is called. In most species it is 

 made while on the ground and is produced by rubbing 

 the inner surface of the hind leg 



OI I? S against the outer surface of the front 



Grasshoppers. . 



wing. In those species which ny 



much it is made while on the wing, or just when 

 rising from the ground, by rubbing together the 

 upper surface of the front edge of the hind wings and 

 the under surface of the front wings. By paying 

 close attention the observer can soon learn to distin- 

 guish each species by its peculiar note. Only the 

 males have musical organs, which is quite the reverse 

 among some animals higher in the scale of life where 

 the females make most of the music and oftentimes 

 much of the noise. The female grasshoppers, how- 

 ever, make up for their lack of musical abilities by 

 their greater bulk, as they are always much larger 

 than their better (?) halves. 



Nineteen out of our fifty-one species seldom use the 

 wings in moving from place to place, but leap vigor- 

 ously when disturbed. Among them are seven species 

 of "short winged" grasshoppers whose wings have 

 become rudimentary in the past through long disuse, 

 so that in the perfect insect of to.-day they are less 

 than half the length of the abdomen. 



Fifteen kinds, the most common of which is the 

 black-winged or "Carolina grasshopper," use the 

 wings almost wholly in their journeyings and often 

 fly long distances when flushed. Their hind legs are. 

 used only in giving themselves an upward impetus 



