53 



this form only from Egj'pt. To give here a long list of localities 

 for the House Cricket would be superfluous ; a few outlying ones 

 only will be mentioned. About 1898 a colony appeared on a moor 

 near Paisley — a dumping-ground for rubbish from Glasgow — but 

 the winter iiilled them (A, M. Stewart). They occur in mills and 

 bakehouses in Paisley (A. M.S.). A female was taken at Kilbarchan 

 in Renfrewshire (A. M.S.). A number, of all ages, were found in an 

 old quarry west of Slateford, near Edinburgh, on the evening of 

 June 25th, 1907 ; they were under rubbish, old clothes, etc., and 

 were no doubt introduced with them (W. Evans). Belleisle (Fer- 

 managh) and Coolmore (Donegal) are given as Irish localities 

 (S. W. Kemp). It has been recorded for the Isle of Man from 

 Laxfy, 1902 and 1904, and from Ballaugh, 1904 (R. T. Cassal). 

 It occurs in Houses in Guernsey (Luff). 



Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa, Linn. (The Mole Cricket.) Through- 

 out Europe, from Sweden to Spain, the Mole Cricket may be found. 

 It is common in France, where it often does harm in gardens by 

 destroying roots. In Britain it is local, being found chiefly in the 

 south. Stephens gives Devon, Cornwall and Ripley as localities, 

 but several others have been recorded. Berk>f — Besselsleigh (W. 

 L. Distant). Cnrnwall — St. Enodoc, near St. Minver, 1912 (C. W. 

 Bracken). Derbi/shire — Side of canals (Glover's " Hist, of Co. of 

 Derby," 1829). Deoon—{Bigne\\) ; near Exeter (Parfitt). Hants— 

 New Forest (W. J. L.) ; Netley (C. A. Briggs) ; Southampton (D. 

 Sharp). Kent^howev Road, Deptford (H. Moore). Linrs — 

 Grimsby, 1902 (G. Hicks). Near Manchester (M. Jacoby). Xnrfolk— 

 Stoke Holy Cross (J. Edwards). < )xoii— near Oxford (J. W. Shipp). 

 Sta/f's — near Birmingham (Garner's "Hist, of Co. of Stafford, 1844). 

 Siisse.v — near Chichester Canal (H. Guermonprez). Surrey— Ghnvt, 

 1901, and Milford (G. Dalgliesh). I have a record for Scotland — 

 one in 1899, from Kilmalcolm, in Renfrewshire (A. M. Stewart.) A 

 snigle one, in the Natural History Museum, Dublin, was found on 

 the bank of Lough Neagh, in the North of Ireland (Scharff). It 

 occurs in Guernsey (Luff). The Mole Cricket lives in holes in 

 damp places, in potato fields and similar localities, and also, it would 

 appear, in sandy places. A long winding passage leads to a cham- 

 ber in which the female lays about 100 yellowish eggs. The mother 

 displays some amount of maternal solicitude, and Kirby and Spence 

 speak of its defending the ova with its jaws against a black 

 ground beetle. It is said that two years are passed in reaching 

 maturity. The nymphs hybernate, and it would appear that the 

 imagines may do so as well, for the Cornish specimen mentioned 

 above was captured towards the end of December. G. gri/Uutalpa 

 feeds on roots and animal food when the latter is obtainable. In 

 captivity specimens may be fed on potatoes, turnips, meat, etc. They 

 should be kept separate from one another. Its stridulation, resemb- 

 ling the "churr" of the nightjar, may be heard at dusk on warm 



