The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-13
SCIENCE CHATS.
The Habits OF the Grasshopper-Its
Appetite and Legs.
Detroit Free Press

Detroit Free Press.l
This insect which hold up before you
is a grasshopper. In some localities,
where they have no dollar stores or street
sprinklers he is termed a locust, but he is
the same bird under all names. These
insects date back to the time when the
first rail fence on earth was built, and
they were only two weeks eating up the
last silver Of 1t. They are like these
chaps who want to borrow five dollars
for day or scattered all over the
world. They knock their heads together
against the Pyramids Of Egypt, and go
in swimming on the coast of Califo rnia.
They make a monday lunch from the
Indians wigwams and they eat supper
in the palaces of kings. .l .-sr
Few great men seem to have given
much attention to the study Of the grass
hopper, although there is lots OF him to
study. He hasn't got as many legs as he
might have, but he is not the grasshop-
per to sneak off and peut about that.
You will sec that the number he has are
usually long and stoutly jointed, and so
spread out that when he comes down. on
anything there are no slips and sprains
in store for him. If man bad the COM
parative length Of limb given to the
grasshopper he could see woman with a
red sash-mbbon on seven miles up Wood
ward avenue. If his limbs had the
comparative strength Of the grasshop-
per's he could kick in hundred saloon
doors in night, and not feel bit weary.
These hind legs are hinged for jumping.
Nature meant that every grasshopper
should jumps full ten feet, and where
any of them come down short it is be-
cause of lazy disposition.
Observe his eyes. They are so set that
he can see in alldirections at once. While
chewing away on the handle of a barn
shovel, he can look for late corn with his
left eye and squint for the farmers dog
with his right. When you imagine that
you can get the skulk on grasshopper
you are badly left. If a man could see
as we'll as this insect, his wife would
never be able to surprise him walking in
the park with another lady.
In addition to his long legs, the grass
hopper has wings and is, therefore, en-
abled to keep track of things over vast
extent of country. The idea Of pinning
chap like him down to one township
and ono grade of society would be
absurd. When tired of walking around
over stnbble-felds some old hopper gives
a signal toot on his horn and away goes
the whole drove, sometimes in one way
and again in another. There ID always
some one on hand to estimate the ex-
act number Of a cloud Of these insects.
1t is generally the Postmaster or some
one else good in figures, and the number
is always given as twelve billions. If
there happen to be two or three over
they are some lame or blind old insects
not worth counting.
Grasshoppers were built to be hungry.
They can eat seven or eight square meals
per day and pick away at the bones of
grindstone between times. They would
no doubt thrive much better on q steady
diet of raisin-cake and plum-pudding,
but grasshoppers can not have just what
they want in this world. He is we'll up
in botany, knows all about cereals and
grasses, has an eye fornatual history, and
take him as q whole he can be got along
with much better than man two-thirds
drunk. -,. ...