296 THE AMERICAN LOCUST, 



little while they are entirely white, with red eyes, 

 and seem very weak and tender- but, by the next 

 day, they attain their full strength and perfection, 

 being of a dark brown colour, with four finely va- 

 ried transparent wings. 



They are very active, flying about from tree to 

 tree with great agility. The female is directed to 

 the male by the loud chirping noise that he makes. 

 She lays her eggs about the latter end of May, 

 piercing for this purpose the tender twigs of trees 

 with the dart from her tail. With this she is able 

 to penetrate the wood in a surprisingly expeditious 

 manner, crowding it for the length of two or three 

 inches full of eggs, ranged in close lines, with from 

 twelve to eighteen in each. She always darts to the 

 pith of the branch, in order that the larvae, when 

 they proceed from the eggs, may find food proper 

 for their tender state. When these are full grown 

 they drop off, and make their way into the ground 

 to prepare for a change. Mere they are sometimes 

 found at the depth of two feet or upwards. 



For the sake of experiment, some of the eggs of 

 this species, about the usual time of hatching, were 

 taken out, and spread upon a table. In about an 

 hour they cracked ; and it was very entertaining to 

 observe how the little insects contrived to disengage 

 themselves from the shell. When they had got clear 

 from all incumbrances, they ran about very briskly^ 

 evidently searching for a repository in the earth *, 



* Phil. Trail, vol. liv. p. 65. tab. 8. 



