THE ITALIAN CRICKET 13S 



of each bow bear upon the callosity, which is itself 

 serrated or wrinkled, or on one of the four smooth 

 radiating nervures. Thus in part are explained the 

 illusions produced by a sound which seems to come first 

 from one point, then from another, when the timid 

 insect is alarmed. 



The production of loud or soft resounding or mufifled 

 notes, which gives the illusion of distance, the principal 

 element in the art of the ventriloquist, has another and 

 easily discovered source. To produce the loud, open 

 sounds the wing-covers are fully lifted ; to produce the 

 muted, muffled notes they are lowered. When lowered 

 their outer edges press more or less lightly on the soft 

 flanks of the insect, thus diminishing the vibratory 

 area and damping the sound. 



The gentle touch of a finger-tip muffles the sharp, 

 loud ringing of a glass tumbler or " musical-glass " 

 and changes it into a veiled, indefinite sound which 

 seems to come from a distance. The White Cricket 

 knows this secret of acoustics. It misleads those that 

 seek it by pressing the edge of its vibrating membranes 

 to the soft flesh of its abdomen. Our musical instru- 

 ments have their dampers ; that of the (Ecanthus 

 pellucens rivals and surpasses them m simplicity ol 

 means and perfection of results. 



The Field-Cricket and its relatives also vary the 

 volume of their song by raising or lowering the elytra 

 so as to enclose the abdomen in a varying degree, but 

 none of them can obtain by this method results so 

 deceptive as those produced by the Italian Cricket. 



To this illusion of distance, which is a source of 

 perpetually renewed surprise, evoked by the slightest 



