280 TENANTS OF AN OLD FARM. 



pound — orthodoxy. The name ' straight wings ' is 

 given heeause their wings, when not in use, are folded 

 lengtliwise in narrow plaits like a fan, and aie laid 

 straight along the top or sides of the back. You will 

 notice this by looking at these prepared specimens, 

 which I have brought for our use this evening. We have 

 several species, natives of our section, representing 

 three genera, and besides these the common European 

 house-cricket [Gri/lhts domcsticus), which has figured 

 so largely in song, stoi-y, and superstition, has been im- 

 ported and domesticated in some parts of the country. 

 These differ quite widely in their habits, some being 

 solitary, some social, some dwelling in the ground, 

 some living upon trees, some nocturnal, others loving 

 the day. 



" The story of their development is about as follows : 

 Most of them deposit their numerous eggs in the 

 ground, making holes for their reception with the long 

 spear-pointed piercers with which the females are pro- 

 vided for this purpose. The eggs are laid in the 

 autumn, and do not appear to be hatched until the fol- 

 lowing summer. One of our species, the White Climl)- 

 ing Cricket {(Ecanthus nireus), differs from her sisters in 

 egg-placing {ovipnsithni). She makes several perfora- 

 tions in the tender stems of plahts, and in each punc- 

 ture thrusts two eggs quite to the pith. These are 

 hatched about midsummer, and the young immediately 

 issue from their nests and conceal themselves among 

 the thickest foliage of the plant. This kind of cricket 

 inhabits the stems and branches of shrubs and trees. 



