the grasshopper. 
289 
in such plenty in every meadow, and that continues its chirp- 
ing through the summer, is best known to us ; and, by havin'? 
its history, we shall be possessed of that of all the rest. This 
animal is of the colour of green leaves, except a line of brown 
which streaks the back, and two pale lines under the belly 
and behind the legs. It may be divided into the head, the* 
corselet, and the belly. The head is oblong, regardin'? the 
earth, and bearing some resemblance to that of a horse? Its 
mouth is covered by a kind of round buckler juttin<? over 
it, and armed with teeth of a brown colour, hooked ‘at the 
points. Within the mouth is perceivable a large reddish 
tongue, fixed to the lower jaw. The feelers, bighorns, are 
very long, tapering off toapoint; and the eyes are like two 
black specks, a little prominent. The corselet is elevated 
narrow, armed above and below, by two serrated spines! 
The back is armed with a strong buckler, to which the" 
muscles of the legs are firmly bound, and round these mus- 
cles are seen the vessels by which the animal breathes, as 
white as snow. The last pair of legs are much longer and 
stronger than the first two pair, fortified by thick muscles 
and very well formed for leaping. It has lour wiims ; the 
anterior ones springing from the second pair of leers’ the 
posterior from the third pair. The hinder wings are much 
finer, and more expansive, than the foremost, and are the 
* principal instruments of its flight. The belly is consider- 
ably large, composed of eight rings, and terminated by a 
forky tail, covered with down, like the tail of a rat. When 
examined internally, besides the gullet, we discovered a 
small stomach ; and behind that a very lar<?e one, wrinkled 
and furrowed within side ; lower down there is still a third ; 
so that it is not without reason, that all the animals of this 
order are said to chew the cud, as they so much resemble 
ruminating animals in their internal conformation. 
A short time after the grasshopper assumes its wings, it 
fills the meadow with its note : which, like that among birds 
is a call to courtship. The male only of this tribe is vocal • 
and upon examining it at the base of the wings, there will 
be found a little hole in its body, covered with a fine trans- 
parent membrane. This is thought, by Linnaeus, to be the 
instrument it employs in singing; but others are of opinion, 
the sound is produced by rubbing its hinder le'?s amiinst 
each other : however this may be, the note of one male is 
seldom heard, but it is returned by another; and the two 
httle animals, after many mutual insults of this kind, are 
seen to meet and fight desperately. The female is generally 
tlie reward of victory ; for, after the combat, the male seizes 
Vol.II. 2 o 
