after the eggs hatch, two kinds of development may occur. some insects have what is called 'incomplete metamorphosis'. this means that a small insect, called a nymph comes out of the egg, and the nymph looks almost the same as the adult insect. as the nymph grows, it does not change the way it looks, but only how big it is. it goes through a number of stages, called 'instars'. grasshoppers grow in this way.