18 



WAYS OF THE SIX-FOOTED 



evening exclusively. One species of these grasshoppers 

 lives in trees. The meadow grasshoppers have their 

 ears in the same place as do the katydids (Fig. 9). 



Fig. 5. Wing-cover of Male Meadow 

 Grasshopper. Showing Musical 

 Organ. 



Fig. 6. Wing-cover of Female 

 Meadow Grasshopper. Not a 

 Musical Instrument. 



Another singer of love songs is the katydid. 



" I love to hear thine earnest voice 



Wherever thou art hid, 

 Thou testy little dogmatist, 



Thou pretty katydid. 

 Thou mindest me of gentle folks. 



Old gentle folks are they. 

 Thou say'st an undisputed thing 



In such a solemn way." 



I think this musician must have been some distance 

 from Dr. Holmes when he wrote these lines ; for dis- 

 tance is needful to lend enchantment to the katydid's 

 song. The grating emphasis of the assertion " Ka'-ty 

 did ', she did '," is nerve-lacerating when the listener is 

 in close proximity to this bass viol of the insect orches- 

 tra. Mr. Riley describes the song well when he says : — 



" The katydid is rasping at 

 The silence from the tangled broom." 



