Music of the Wild 



they. The adult is a solid green of pale color, yel- 

 lowish in faint tints in some lights, a dainty bluish 

 Katy y s in others. The faceplate and wide "choker" ap- 

 Costume p ear to ^ e o f tne same glassy coat of mail as those 

 of the grasshopper. The legs are very long, and 

 the hind pair has claspers. The wings resemble 

 deeply veined and grooved leaves, the musical 

 plates showing at the bases. The insect is very 

 narrow of body, but quite deep, and the back and 

 abdomen are sharp ridges. The antennae are al- 

 most twice the length of the body, and so hair-fine 

 that a camera focused on a katy-did does not re- 

 cord their full extent. With these they explore 

 their path, lightly touching objects before them to 

 find footing and avoid danger. Their greatest 

 protection lies in their close resemblance to tender 

 green leaves. 



They have what appears to be a stubby little 

 tail turning up at the back. This is the instru- 

 ment with which they insert their eggs between the 

 layers of a green leaf in the fall. The leaf drops, 

 and lies during the winter, and the next summer 

 the egg develops into a tiny katy-did, that emerges 

 and sets to work foraging on the under side of 

 foliage. All that is accomplished by growth in this 

 insect is to become larger, as they are always shaped 

 much the same; possibly the young ones are of a 

 more tender, yellowish green, that changes to a 

 bluish cast as they reach maturity. 

 222 



