AN AUGUST SONG 219 



became tame, and would rest contentedly quite 

 close to us until inclined to take a turn in the air. 

 Another lived in a vacant plot in the middle of the 

 town, whence he made aerial excursions along the 

 streets at about the level of the roofs, snapping as 

 he went, but always returning to the same green 

 patch to alight. Often have I heard him passing 

 a certain office window there, and looking out have 

 seen him descend to one particular patch of grass, 

 which he always chose to alight upon. 



All the summer these insects could be seen, but 

 when the damp of autumn came the chirping 

 gradually ceased ; old age had overtaken the 

 chirpers, and death was near. At this time I 

 killed one a poor old fellow hardly able to hop 

 stuck him through with a pin, set his wings, and 

 took him to South Kensington, where they said he 

 was novel to the collection, and identified him as 

 CEdipoda sulphured. 



In these days of acclimatisation one might do 

 worse than import a few " snappers," and turn 

 them down. Nothing could be prettier or more 

 interesting than they would be when sailing 

 around a garden, snapping cheerfully. 



