The Chorus of the Forest 



mental performers, the same as the grasshopper, 

 locust, and katy-did. 



These wings are attached back of the shoulders 

 and are so short they cover not more than the mid- 

 dle third of the body. They are so very small, 

 music must be their greatest use. I do not believe 

 they would bear the weight of the insects in flight, 

 but by spreading and beating them they might as- 

 sist in long leaps. The remainder of their anat- 

 omy is complicated. Our cabin cricket was smaller 

 and lighter brown than its big, forest relatives, but 

 they appeared quite similar. Their outer covering 

 encases them as armor. Their eyes are prominent 

 and glittering, and help to give them a cheerful, 

 alert appearance. I noticed that when traveling 

 undisturbed they lightly touched objects before 

 them with their long hair-fine antennae as if feel- 

 ing their way. On each side of the front section 

 of the bodies are a series of three short legs used 

 for walking, and just back of these the large, long 

 leg for leaping. 



On the floor, pottering over cricket history, 

 close to the fence, where the light was strong, I 

 made a new acquaintance. Botanists may know 

 it well, but I am unable to place it in any of many 

 valuable works I own. This may be because I 

 found it in the fall, at berry-bearing time, and 

 they would describe it in bloom. But I have small 

 trouble in identifying other plants at any season. 

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