THE CRICKET 



According to the extent of their contact with the soft 

 body of the Cricket they allow him to sing gently at one 

 time and fortissimo at another. 



The exact similarity of the two wing-cases is worthy 

 of attention. I can see clearly the function of the upper 

 bow, and the four sounding-spaces which sets it in 

 motion ; but what is the good of the lower one, the bow 

 on the left wing? Not resting on anything, it has 

 nothing to strike with its hook, which is as carefully 

 toothed as the other. It is absolutely useless, unless the 

 apparatus can invert the order of its two parts, and place 

 that above which is below. If that could be done, the 

 perfect symmetry of the instrument is such that the 

 mechanism would be the same as before, and the insect 

 would be able to play with the bow that is at present 

 useless. The lower fiddlestick would become the upper, 

 and the tune would be the same. 



I suspected at first that the Cricket could use both 

 bows, or at least that there were some who were per- 

 manently left-handed. But observation has convinced 

 me of the contrary. All the Crickets I have examined — 

 and they are many — without a single exception carried 

 the right wing-case above the left. 



I even tried to bring about by artificial means what 

 Nature refused to show me. Using my forceps, very 

 gently of course, and without straining the wing-cases, 

 I made these overlap the opposite way. It is easily done 



[191] 



