THE COMMON GRASSHOPPER 



ears of PhasgonuridcB are situate upon the front pair of 

 legs, those of the Locustidce are placed on each side of 

 the base of the abdomen. The happy-go-lucky life 

 passed by this cheerful little tenant of the countryside 

 will be known to all those who revel in the joys of the 

 outdoor world. As a general rule, it appears to be a 

 vegetarian, but its numbers do not ever attain the pro- 

 portions of its cousin, the Locust, and it does not per- 

 petrate any appreciable damage. It appears to vary in 

 colour, brown, green, red, yellow, and other varieties 

 being forthcoming. The long, narrow, and elliptical 

 eggs are deposited in batches in the ground, a hole being 

 made by the short, stout ovipositor at the extremity of 

 the female's body. It is much shorter and less pro- 

 minent than that of the Long-Horned Grasshopper, 

 which is a very conspicuous appendage. The eggs are 

 covered over with a sticky secretion, which hardens and 

 affords them protection. The eggs remain as such 

 until early Spring, and when the larva appears it passes 

 through successive moults until it is eventually ready 

 to take up its appointed place in the great world of life. 



27 



