ANIMAL BIOLOGY 



CHAPTER I 

 THE GRASSHOPPER AND OTHER ORTHOPTERA 



Among the most common things with which we come 

 into contact in this world are living beings, and it is there- 

 fore highly desirable that we know a good deal about them. 

 The science which deals with the living world is called 

 Biology, and it falls into two subdivisions, one, Botany, 

 which is concerned with plants, and the other, Zoology, 

 which treats of animals. No one, be he ever so dull, can 

 escape picking up some information on the subject matter 

 of these branches of science, yet comparatively few realize 

 the great importance and interest which attaches to the 

 study of the world of life. Most of us are blind to count- 

 less wonderful and beautiful things which a little well-di- 

 rected observation would disclose to our view. And we 

 often shrink from many forms with a feeling of repug- 

 nance which a closer acquaintance would change to one 

 of interest and admiration for the remarkable adaptations 

 of their structure and activities. 



To begin our study of animal life, we shall select a com- 

 mon and familiar form, the grasshopper. All living 

 creatures have much in common, and what we learn about 

 one kind will help us very materially in learning about 

 others. The grasshopper is a member of the great 

 class of insects which is the largest group in the animal 

 kingdom. It is a creature of complex structure, but 

 formed upon a pattern very different from that of our 



