LOCUSTS 161 



ill 

 THEIR EARLY DAYS 



The Locust mother is not, in all cases, a model of affection. 

 The Italian Locust, having laboriously half-buried herself in 

 the sand, lays her eggs there and immediately bounds away. 

 She gives not a look at the eggs, nor makes the least attempt 

 to cover the hole where they lie. It closes of its own accord, 

 as best it can, by the natural falling-in of the sand. It is an 

 extremely casual performance, marked by an utter absence 

 of maternal care. 



Others do not forsake their eggs so recklessly. The ordinary 

 Locust with the blue-and-black wings, for instance, after 

 leaving her eggs in the sand, lifts her hind-legs high, sweeps 

 some sand into the hole, and presses it down by stamping it 

 rapidly. It is a pretty sight to watch the swift action of her 

 slender legs, giving alternate kicks to the opening they are 

 plugging. With this lively trampling the entrance to the home 

 is closed and hidden away. The hole that contains the eggs 

 completely disappears, so that no ill-intentioned creature could 

 find it by sight alone. 



Nor is this all. The power that works the two rammers 

 lies in the hinder thighs, which, as they rise and fall, scrape 

 lightly against the edge of the wing-cases. This scraping pro- 

 duces a faint sound, similar to that with which the insect 

 placidly lulls itself to sleep in the sun. 



The Hen salutes with a song of gladness the egg she has 

 just laid ; she announces her performance to the whole neigh- 

 bourhood. The Locust celebrates the same event with her 

 thin scraper. ' I have buried underground,' she says, ' the 

 treasure of the future.' 



Having made the nest safe she leaves the spot, refreshes 

 herself after her exertions with a few mouthfuls of green stuff, 

 and prepares to begin again. 



The Grey Locust mother is armed at the tip of her body 



