THE GRASSHOPPER AND OTHER ORTHOPTERA II 



The skin splits down the middle of the back, the abdomen 

 is drawn forward out of its old case, the legs are pulled 

 out of their coverings and the grasshopper slowly pulls 

 itself out of all of its old clothes and appears in a new but 

 thin external covering which had been forming preparatory 

 to casting off the older one. The recently molted grass- 



FIG. 8. Three stages in the metamorphosis of a grasshopper. (After 



Herrns.) 



hopper appears quite suddenly larger than before. The 

 new skin hardens, the grasshopper eats and grows, and 

 before long it has to undergo a new molt. The skin is 

 shed four or five times before the grasshopper reaches 

 maturity. During this series of molts gradual changes 

 of form, which are spoken of as metamorphosis, take place. 

 One of the most salient features of this process is the 



