< 

 24 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



figure, which has been kindly lent by Prof. J. A. 

 Lintner, shows the female natural size. The sexes 

 differ very little. The male is slightly smaller. West- 

 wood says : — " Indeed, as the females are destitute 

 of an exserted ovipositor, it is only by a minute in- 

 spection of the veins of the wing covers that the sexes 

 may be distinguished. The females in this family 

 are not able to make a noise, the veins of their wing 

 covers being more regularly disposed. The males 

 are, morever, distinguished by having eight ventral 

 segments in the abdomen, whilst there are only seven 

 in the females." (Mod. Class. I, 443). There is 

 only one species of Mole-cricket recorded from Can- 

 ada. It is of the form shown above, of velvety seal- 

 brown colour, which is darkest on the thorax. The 

 wing covers are greyish, with dark veins, and the true 

 wings are white and folded together like a fan. They 

 ^^"'  are much larger than would be imagined from their 



small tail-like tips, which show beyond the wing covers on the back. The 

 most remarkable feature of these insects is the strong fore-legs, with their 

 expanded paw-like shanks, which bear four claw-like curved and hollowed 

 projections at the lower edge ; two of these are jointed at. the base, and are 

 in fact claws. The feet consist of three joints, which are attached about 

 the middle of what, by the shanks being twisted obliquely outwards, is now 

 the outside instead of the lower side. They consist of three joints : the 

 first and second are large and claw-like, the second the smaller but 

 reaching almost as far as the tip of the first ; the third is very small indeed, 

 and bears two weak true claws. The first two tarsal joints being of the shape 

 described give great strength to the insect's " paw " when used for digging, 

 for they lie right in front of the two articulated projections of the shank 

 which fit closely to them, and the weak terminal joint lies between. The 

 adaptability of these limbs for their required use is at once seen by the 

 rapidity with which these insects dig down out of sight again when 

 disturbed. 



As stated above, Mole-crickets are nocturnal in their habits. They 

 live in moist ground and near streams, where they sink their burrows 

 some inches beneath the surface ; but also throw up little ridges as they 

 burrow nearer the surface, like miniature mole-rui]s. 



