220 



"lu the two fore feet of the common mole cricket we have 

 a very remarkable modification of the claw, which cannot be 

 brought under any of the preceding varieties. The habits of 

 this animal lead it to burrow under ground very extensively, 

 and to effect this the claws of the first pair of legs are fixed 

 into a large strong serrated hand-like structure. With this 

 it can readily remove substances which would destroy the 

 smaller claws with which the hind feet are furnished. 



" In respect of strength it approaches nearest to the mandi- 

 bles of the Mason Wasp, which are formed of more than bony 

 hardness, to enable them to chip off minute particles of sand 

 and remove them in sufiicient numbers to eftect an aperture 

 large enough to admit the body." 



I am not in possession of a specimen of the hand as it is 

 termed, and have therefore copied the description and diagram 

 from the Pictorial Museum of Animated Nature. Fig. 20. 



We now come to speak of those feet in which we find hairy 

 bosses, or flaps in addition to hooks. 



Tliese bosses, for the most part, are situated on the under 

 surface of the foot, directly beneath the insertion of the claw. 

 They are acted upon directly by minute muscles, and are 

 brought into operation whenever the insect is walking. 



They are entirely covered with long hairs on their lower 

 surface, and are frequently more or less convex. 



These bosses are occasionally situated on the joints of the 

 tarsus, and when there, undergo some interesting modifications. 



The most common number observed is two, but in some 

 cases there are as many as eight. 



It is scarcely necessary to describe many ; we will therefore 

 confine ourselves principally to the feet of our common fly — 

 Musca Bomedica. The same applies to most of the Dipterous 

 family. 



If we examine the foot of the smaller Jiouse fiy, we find 

 that it consists of two elegantly shaped hooks of a brown 

 colour and great hardness, covered like the integument with 



