New-York tribune., 1900-08-12

and again shrill discussion as to whether Katy
did Katy didn't.
Strive as We may, cannot discover their hid
ing places but in the daytime they cannot escape
us so easily, for they large or too long
legged not to be seen as they skip the grass
and we hear their merry music in the fields
The most familiar of these musical elves" OF
the daytime is the grasshopper, or the old man
of the meadow" as he has been called. Watch him
closely and you will how much his face with
the big solemn eyes and straight mouth, looks like
an old mans face He a gray coat like a
loose duster. He has on a wrinked greenish vest
and wears kneebreeches with long red stockings
He has another name, THE murmurer." This is
given because of the song he sings Mrs Grass
hopper. and it is loud and shrin
He has little piece of skin like a tight drum
head set in each wing. As he moves his wings
this tiny drum vibrates trembles and makes
the shrill sound
Mrs. Grasshopper does not have this drum in her
wings. She has, however, at the end of her body a
little sword which opens into several blades. She
uses it to place her eggs snugly in the ground
where they lie until the young grasshoppers hatch
out.
All grasshoppers do not live in the grass; some
spend most of their time in the trees, and this is
why their front legs are shorter than the others
They cannot walk well over level surface, but
it helps them in walking up a small plant
or wall. As the grasshopper is an insect. like the
rest of his kind his body is made in rings. in
the second chest part.
fellow,
that has no drum; he is silent.
Grasshoppers prefer vegetable food. but will
sometimes eat animal food.
Greek poet once wrote song TO the grass
hopper. and called him the happest of living things
He does nothing but dance and sing. He eats
fresh leaves and drinks cool dew: When the glad
summer of his life is done he dies. and does not
live TO be sick or hungry or cold.
The garden grasshopPer has very small wings.
hor6 fee saFSeP nt nails 9 or under the Leaves In the ne
thls garden FAMILY, and one answers the song OF
M,
bronze or rsssf CoIor % 6 his ft @ 1e on mas 5 S nfS
green. AS this great green one in the trees is
hidden by his color, so is the great gray one
The 'old man Of the meadow" has a fierce
pirate by the name OF locust The locust is much
it's II win fhG eat he 6aTk T M 3he 4ee IN
i4ocusts live and move in swarms, and they
brown sand color. There is a delicate green
tinge on the wings The breast has a soft vest Of
down. and the legs are often striped In bands Of
The locust does not make his music as the grass
hopper does. but when he wishes to sing he stands
on his front legs. Then he lifts his hind legs
the hind legs have rough. aie ike edges. and the
rub on these cords and produce the sound which
singing early in the morning then say. 1T is
Another cousin of the grasshopper, and a right
Jolly little fellow he is too is the cricket Of which
cricket and the mole cricket Mr. Cricket has three
strong veins under his left wing cover and the
largest OF these is rough, like file, which he uses
one uses the bow Of violin. When this rough
vein is drawn across the right wing cover it
trembleS quVerS like the strings of a violin rhs
field cricket will sing all day. while the house
and mole crickets sing only at night. IL Is verv
pleasant and CHEEKY TO hear the "chirD chirD .
of cricket on the hearth.
The stoutest and largest OF all the cricket fam
lily is the mole cricket, which takes its name from
the fact that il burrows in the ground. The moIa
cricket is lighter in color than the other crci-s,S
and curious thing about II is It's front feet which
are broad and short and have toes made for Jjo
gng. The mole cricket eats the roots OF vegetables
and flowers, and Is a plague in garden WhIIs nj
song
Other insects which are interesting to know about
are the numerous beetles and those stars Of tbs
Garth, the freties and glowworms: the wonderful
busy bees. -the walking Sucks and the katydids
which tell that summer Is the wane and frosf
not so many weeks away. But these must V9it
till another time There is much. too TO learn bout
the hOusehy and its enemy. the spider both OF
which have their uses In the world