98 NATURAL HISTORY 



the eminences with, something a little sticky, for it is those eminences 

 that they seem to be at work upon. This grasshopper drinks freely, 

 and ate a chrysalis of some butterfly. 



There is an iris to each eye. Each eye is a hexagonal tube. The 

 eye of the large green grasshopper has the appearance of a dark spot in 

 that part directly opposite to the point of sight of the spectator, and 

 therefore appears to move as that point of sight moves ; but this pro- 

 bably is a deception, for most probably it is owing to the cornea per- 

 mitting only the rays to pass in the direction of the axis of each of the 

 ocelli, which, being dark at the bottom, the rays are not refracted at 

 that part ; but the tunica sclerotica of each eye, being green, and the 

 sides of it reflecting the green rays, the whole eye appears green, excepting 

 the above-mentioned dark spot. This fact of the sides of each eye 

 being green and reflecting the green rays, shows that the object must 

 be made at the bottom of the eye, not at all at the sides ; and the green 

 colour being reflected in every direction from the eye, excepting the spot, 

 preserves the universal green colour that is necessary for the animal. 



Their eyes would appear not to be fitted to near objects ; for they 

 seem to trust more to their long feelers, moving them in all directions; and 

 when they touch anything with them they make a spring ; and this takes 

 place in the light, and yet they do see. When they make a noise, 

 which is with their wings, their abdomen contracts and expands much 

 faster than common. 



Of the Dragon-fly \JE,sthna grandis] . 



August 18th, 1778, at eight o'clock in the evening, I saw the dragon- 

 fly flying about, making short turns, which were performed very quick. 

 I also observed gnats flying ; and, what took my attention most, was his 

 making up to a gnat, and then the gnat was seen no more ; therefore I 

 conjectured he was feeding upon them. I caught him and opened him 

 the next morning, and could observe in the stomach the scales of some 

 insects. 



The stomach is a straight canal, the termination of which is sur- 

 rounded with what I suppose to be the pancreas. The gut goes on 

 pretty straight to the anus, and opens just below the tail. Near the 

 anus is the entrance of the ducts which I suppose to be the liver 1 . 



The ovaria of the dragon-fly is a distinct kind from any of the others ; 

 they consist of two, one on each side of the gut, reaching as high as the 

 thorax. They are large at the upper end, becoming smaller down- 

 wards to the anus ; each consists of a long bag ; and on the inner side 



1 [Now regarded as urinary tubes. Prep. Nos. 598 & 784.] 



