4 NATURAL HISTORY. 
fammer, is belt known to us; and by having its hiftroy we fhall be po& 
fefled of that of all the reft. This animal is of the colour of green 
leaves except a line of brown which ftreaks the back, and two pale 
lines under the belly and behind the legs. It may be divided into the 
head, the corflet, and the belly. The head is oblong, regarding -the 
earth, and bearing fome trefemblance to that of a horfe. Its mouth is 
covered by a kind of round buckler jutting over it, and armed with 
teeth of a brown colour, hooked at the points. Within the mouth is 
perceivable a large reddifh tongue, and fixed to the lower jaw. The 
feelers or horns are very long, tapering off to a point; and the eyes are 
' like two black fpecks, a little prominent. The corflet is elevated, nar- 
yow, armed above and below, by two ferrated fpines. ‘Vhe back is 
armed with a flrong buckler, to which the mufcles of the legs are firmly 
bound, and round thefe mufcles are feen the veflels by which the ani- 
mal breathes, as white as fnow, The laft pair of legs are much longer: 
and ftronger than the firft two pair, fortified by thick muicles, and 
very well formed for leaping. It bas four wings; the anterior ones 
{pringing from the fecond pair of legs, the polterior from the third 
air. he hinder wings are much finer and more expanfive than the 
aaa and are the principal inftruments of its flight. The belly is 
confiderably large, compofed of eight rings, and terminated by a for- 
key tail, covered with down, like the tail of a rat. When examined 
internally, befides the gullet, we difcover a fmall ftomach ; and behind 
that a very large one, wrinkled and furrowed within fide: lower down 
there is ftill a third; fo that it is not without reafon that all the ani- 
mals of this order are faid to chew the cud, as they fo much refemble 
ruminant animals in their internal conformation. 
‘ A fhort time after the grafshopper aflumes its wings, it fills the mea- 
dows with its note; which like that among birds, is a call to courtfhip. 
The male only of this tribe is vocal; and, upon examining the bafe of 
the wings, there will be found a little hole in its body, covered with a 
fine tran{parent membrane. This is thought, by Linnzus, to be the 
inflrument it employs in finging ; but others are of opinion the found 
is produced by rubbing its hinder legs againft each other; however 
this be, the note of one male is feldom heard, but it is returned by 
another ; and the two little animals, after many mutual infults of this 
kind, are feen to meet and fight deiperately. ‘The female is generally 
the reward of victory ; for, after the combat, the male feizes her with 
his teeth behind the neck, and ‘thus keeps her for feveral hours, till 
the bufinefs of fecundation is performed. They are at that time fo. 
‘ftrongly united, that they can fearcely be feparated without tearing 
afunder. Towards the latter end of autumn the female prepares to. 
depofit her burthen; and her body is then feen greatly diftended with 
her eggs, which the carries to the number of one hundred and fifty. 
In order to make a proper lodgement in the earth for them, Nature has 
furnifhed her with an inftrument at her tail, fomewhat refembling a 
two-edged fword, which the can fheathe and untheathe at pleafure: 
with this fhe pierces the earth as deep as fhe is able; and into the hole 
which her inftrument has made, the depofits her eggs, one after the. 
oe pete faiths cs — 
, Having thus provjded for the continuation of her pofterity, the ani- 
‘mal herfelf does not long furvive ; but, as the winter approaches, the 
dries, 
