The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-01-15
The GrasshOpper.

children, 10 you ever stop TO THINK
that nothing was made in vain? If not,
why not? We can look around us and
see feas, beetles, mosquitoes, ants and
many other living things which seem to
have no useful mission in life, but when
we think that Nature had any time to
fool away in experiments we are sadly
mistaken: She knew what she was
about when she gave bed-bug four
rows of teeth and two-forty gait, and
she had her eyes wide open when she
made double joints in the hind legs of a
flea.
This insect which l hold up before
you is a grasshopper. In some locali-
ties, 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 upthe last silver OF
it. ,TAey are like those chaps who want
tosborrow five dollars for a day or "two
scattered all over the world. They
knock their heads against the Pyramids
of Egypt, and 60 in swimming on the
coast of California. They make a
MONDAY lunch from the Indiaf sswig-
wan. and they eat supper III the pal
aces of kings.
Few great men seem to have given
much attention to the stuiy of the
grasshopper, although there is lots of
him to study. He hasn't got as many
legs AS he might have, but he is not the
grasshopper to sneak off and pout over
that. You will see that the number he
has are unusually 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. II
man had the comparative length of limb
given to the grasshopper, he could see
a woman with 4 red sash-ribbon on
seven miles up Woodward avenue. If
his limbs had the comparative strength
of grasshopper's, ne could kick in p
hundred saloon doors in an evening,
and not feel bit weary. These hind
legs are hinged, for jumping. Nature
meant that every grasshopper should
jump full ten feet, and where any Of
them come Down short it is because Of
a lazy disposition.
Observe his eyes. They are 80 set
that he can see in all directions at once.
While chewing away on the handle of Il
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
a grasshopper you are badly left. If
man could see as well as this insect, his
wife would never be able to surprise
him while walking in the park with an
other lady.
In addition to his long legs the grass
hopper has wings, and is, therefore,
enabled to keep track of things over a
vast extent of country. The idea of
pinnirg a chap like him down to one
township and one grade of society
would be absurd. When tired of walk
ing around over the stubble-tields some
old hopper gives signal toot on his
horn, and away goes the whole drove,
sometimes in one way and again in an
other. There is always some one on
hand to estimate the exact 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. "a b IL
Grasshoppers were bdilt to Be hun
cry. They can eat seven or eight
square meals per day and pick away at
the bones of a grindstone- between
times. They would no doubt thrive much
better ona steady dietof raisinrcake and
plum-pudding, utgrasshoppers cannot
have jtst what they want in this world.
He is well up on botany, knows all
about cereals and grasses, has an eye
for natural history, and take him as a
whole he can be got Along with much
Detroit Free Press.