46 
broken, and the young locust pushes its way through the neck 
of the burrow towards the light. 
‘Nearly all the eggs in 
a pod hatch at the same 
time, and the young escape 
through the small hole left 
for this purpose. When 
the young insects reach the 
surface they are quite weak, 
and still surrounded by a 
very delicate film, which 
has to be first removed be- 
fore the young locust can 
jump about. By contract- 
ing and expanding muscu- 
lar movements this envelop- 
ing film splits along the 
middle of the back, near 
: the head, and is gradually 
FIG. 26.—Egg of Rocky—-Mountain Locust-- : 
a, Showing sculpture of outer shell; b, the pushed backwards, remain- 
same very highly magnified; e, the embryo, ing as a white crumpled 
just beforehatching. (After Riley.) pellet Abia dash deen pale 
and colorless, the young locust assumes its dark color in the 
course of an hour. 
‘‘Hrom this account of the hatching process, we can readily 
understand why the female in ovipositing prefers compact or 
hard soil to that which is loose. The harder and less yielding 
the walls of the burrow, the easier will the young locust crowd 
its way out. 
‘‘Though the covering which envelopes the little animal 
when first it issues from the egg is quite delicate, it neverthe- 
less, in the struggles of birth, undoubtedly affords much pro- 
tection, and it is an interesting fact that while, as we have seen, 
itis shed within a few minutes of the time when the animal 
reaches the free air, it is seldom shed, if, from one cause or anoth- 
er, there isa failure to escape from the soil, even though the 
young locust may be struggling for days to effect an escape. 
‘‘While yet enveloped in this pellicle, the animal possesses 
great forcing and pushing power, and if the soil be not too com- 
pact, will frequently force a direct passage through the same to 

