78 GENERAL ZOOLOGY 



vary in color in different localities or at different seasons 

 of the year. The genus Melanopus is the largest one in 

 this group. Its representatives are to be found in grass, 

 which is their chief food. The males of the Acridince 

 usually sing when at rest and most of them rarely produce 

 sounds at all. In order to get a concrete idea of the daily 

 life of the grasshopper, we will now consider the activities 

 of the red-legged locust. 



Wheeler says: "An organism is a complex, definitely 

 coordinated and, therefore, individualized system of activi- 

 ties, which are primarily directed to obtaining and assimi- 

 lating substances from an environment, to producing other 

 similar systems, known as offsprings, and to protecting the 

 system itself and usually also its offspring from disturbances 

 emanating from the environment. The three fundamental 

 activities enumerated in this definition, namely nutrition, 

 reproduction and protection, seem to have their inception 

 in what we know, from exclusively subjective experience, 

 as feelings of hunger, affection and fear respectively." 

 The activities of the red-legged locust may properly be 

 considered, therefore, under the topics: self-maintenance, 

 self-protection, and race preservation. 



You may wonder why anyone should study a grasshopper, 

 or why the writer should think it would be profitable for 

 you to do so. There are many reasons why it is desirable. 

 It may be used to illustrate many general zoological facts 

 and principles, with particular application to insect prob- 

 lems, and you may perhaps be glad after all that we did 

 not choose elephants, or rattle snakes for illustrative 

 material. If we are going to look into the daily life of 

 the grasshopper, however even pry into his pantry, cup- 

 board, sleeping apartments, courting places, and other most 

 private haunts you must try to put yourself in friend 

 grasshopper's place, and realize to the extent of your ability 

 what -his sensations, wants, and difficulties are. If we know 

 a great deal about one animal, we will be prepared to make 

 more rapid progress with others. 



