Rural School Leaflet 



1279 



meet the foot ; these spines give the insect a finn hold when making ready 

 for its spring. When walking, the cricket places the whole hind foot 

 flat on the ground, but rests only on the claw and the segment next to 

 it of the front pairs of feet. The claws have no pads like those of the 

 katydid or the grasshopper; the segment of the tarsus next the claw has 

 long spines on the hind feet and shorter spines on the middle and the front 

 feet, thus showing that the feet are not made for climbing but for scrambling 

 along the ground. When getting ready to jmnp, the cricket crouches 

 so that the tibia and the femur of the hind legs are shut together and 

 almost on the ground. The dynamics of the cricket's leap are well worth 

 studying. 



The patent-leather finish of the cricket's clothes is of great use; for, 

 although the cricket is 

 an efficient jumper, it P 

 is, after all, mostly by 

 nmning between grass 

 blades that it escapes 

 its enemies. If a per- 

 son tries to catch one, 

 he realizes how slip- 

 pen,^ it is, and how 

 efficiently it is able 

 to slide through the 

 fingers. 



The cricket's fea- 

 tures are not ver\- 

 easily made out, be- 

 cause the head is 



polished and black; the compound eyes are not so polished as the head, 

 and the simple eyes are present but are discerned with difficult}'. The 

 antenna; are longer than the body and are very active; there is a globular 

 segment where they join the face. The lens reveals that the flexibility of 

 the antennas is due to the fact that they are many-jointed. The palpi 

 are easily seen, a large pair above and a smaller pair beneath the " chin." 

 The palpi are used for testing food and in order to prove whether it be 

 palatable. The crickets are fond of melons and other sweet, juicy finiits, 

 and by putting such food into the cage the insects can be seen biting out 

 pieces with their sidewise-working jaws, chewing the toothsome morsels 

 with gusto. They take hold of the substance they are eating witli the 

 front feet, as if to make sure of it. 



The wing covers of the cricket are bent down at the sides at right 

 angles, like a box cover. The wing covers are much shorter than the 



Black crickets 



