. Elementary entomology. Insects. 54 ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY Xymphs. The little grasshoppers hatch about the middle of May (though we have observed hatching by the middle of March in central Texas) and are of a dusky brown color marked with yellow. The head and legs are the most prominent features of the young nymph. During their subsequent growth they molt five times, at intervals of from ten days to two weeks, the relative size and appear- ance of the different stages being shown in Fig. 67. Professor H. A. Morgan, who made a careful study of an outbreak of this species in Mississippi in 1900,
. Elementary entomology. Insects. 54 ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY Xymphs. The little grasshoppers hatch about the middle of May (though we have observed hatching by the middle of March in central Texas) and are of a dusky brown color marked with yellow. The head and legs are the most prominent features of the young nymph. During their subsequent growth they molt five times, at intervals of from ten days to two weeks, the relative size and appear- ance of the different stages being shown in Fig. 67. Professor H. A. Morgan, who made a careful study of an outbreak of this species in Mississippi in 1900, has given an inter- esting account of their growth and habits, from which the following is quoted : Growth. The young on first emerging from the eggs are sordid white and after an airing of an hour or two are darker, assuming a color not unlike the dark gray alluvial soil over which they feed. There are changes of color as the earlier stages are assumed, but until the close of the third stage these changes are not readily percep- tible in the field to the naked eye. At the close of stage four the greenish-yellow color becomes prominent on many forms, and in stage five the greenish-yellow and yellow ground colors predominate. The vigorous feeding and rapid growth of the young in stages four and five, and the prominence of the wing pads in stage five, cause the grasshoppers in these conditions to appear almost as conspicuous as adults. Habits. The habits of the young are interesting, and a knowledge of some of them may be helpful in developing remedies. After hatching they remain for several hours in close proximity to the egg pod from which they emerged. With this period of faint-heartedness over they may venture out for a few yards each day into the grass, weeds, or crop neighboring the egg area. Upon being disturbed they invariably make the effort to hop in the direction of their so- called nest. Nymphs emerging from eggs on a ditch bank, if forced into the water will seldom
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