. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . he thistle or the thorn. It is, indeed, inconceiveable howthe insect thus extricates itself from so exact a sheath as that which coveredevery part of its body. The grasshopper, thus disengaged from its outer skin, appears in its per-fect form; but then so feeble, and its body so soft and tender, that it may bemoulded like wax. It is no longer of that obscure color which it exhibitedbefore, but a greenish white, which becomes more vivid as the moisture onthe surf
. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . he thistle or the thorn. It is, indeed, inconceiveable howthe insect thus extricates itself from so exact a sheath as that which coveredevery part of its body. The grasshopper, thus disengaged from its outer skin, appears in its per-fect form; but then so feeble, and its body so soft and tender, that it may bemoulded like wax. It is no longer of that obscure color which it exhibitedbefore, but a greenish white, which becomes more vivid as the moisture onthe surface is dried away. Still, however, the animal continues to show nosigns of life, but appears quite spent and fatigued with its labor for morethan an hour together. During this time, the body is drying, and the wingsunfolding to their greatest expansion; and the curious observer will perceivethem, fold after fold, opening to the sun, till at last they become longer thanthe two hinder legs. The insects body also is lengthened during this ope-ration, and it becomes much more beautiful than before. 832 INSECTA—LOCUST. THE LOCUSTi. Is about three inches long, and has two horns, or feelers, an inch in head and horns are of a brownish color; it is blue about the mouth, asalso on the inside of the larger legs. The shield that covers the back isgreenish; and the upper side of the body brown, spotted with black, and theunder side purple. The upper wings are brown, with small dusky spotswith one larger at the tips; the under wings are more transparent, and ofa light brown, tinged with green: but there is a dark cloud of spots nearthe tips. There is no animal in the creation that multiplies so fast as this, if thesun be warm, and the soil in which their eggs are deposited be dry. The Scripture, which was written in a country where the locust made adistinguished feature in the picture of nature, has given us several verystriking images of this animals numbers and rapacity. It c
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