GRASSHOPPER, a name applied to insects belonging to the families Tettigoniidae and Acridiidae of the order ORTHOPTERA (q.v.). They are especially remarkable for their leaping powers, due to the great development of the hind legs, and also for their stridulation which is generally, but not always, a function of the male only. The Acridiidae, or short-horned grasshoppers, have short and rather stout antennae, 3-jointed tarsi and an incon spicuous ovipositor. Stridulation is produced by the rasping of a row of peg-like joints, on the inner side of the femur of each hind leg, against the hardened veins of the fore-wings, thus caus ing the latter to vibrate : auditory organs are present on either side of the base of the abdomen. Included in this family are most of the common grasshoppers of the countryside, together with the locusts and certain more highly specialized forms. The eggs are laid in the ground or more rarely, in decaying wood: they are deposited in masses of 30-100 or more. each mass being enclosed in a kind of capsule formed of a hardened secretion. These insects are voracious devourers of vegetation both in their young and adult stages, and the name locust is often applied to any member of this family; in its strict usage the term only refers to certain destructive species that at times greatly increase in numbers and migrate considerable distances in large swarms (see LocUST). The Tettigoniidae, or long-horned grasshoppers, were formerly termed Locustidae: they have long thread-like antennae, 4-jointed tarsi and a prominent ovipositor. Stridula tion is produced by the rasping action of the base of the left f ore wing. where it bears a row of denticles. against a smooth area of tense membrane on the right fore-wing, and auditory organs are present on the tibiae of the fore legs. These insects are less mark edly herbivorous than the Acridiidae and some of them are carniv orous or omnivorous. The eggs are not enclosed in capsules and are either laid in the ground, or in neat rows cut in stems, or on leaves, etc. Some forms are wingless and live on the ground or in caves, while the winged species mainly frequent bushes and trees. The bright green Katydids (Phaneropterinae) of the United States are the most notorious stridulators, and the large green Phasgonura viridissima occurs in the south of England, where it attracts attention from its strident call. (A. D. I.)