90 THE REPORT UF THE No. 19 



the collector is not absolutely certain of the identity of the species, specimens should be taken. 

 It is better, if possible, to take specimens of every species from each locality visited, though, of 

 course, this is unnecessary in the case of some very common and easily recognized species. It 

 is only in this way that an accurate idea can be obtained of the distribution of the species in a 

 given locality, and the value of an accurate knowledge of zoological distribution can scarcely be 

 overestimated. 



CRICKETS. 



By Rev. Thomas W. Fyles, Levis, Quebec. 



There jire certain things which greatly excite the wonder of the Old Country visitor to 

 Canada :— the piping of the tree-frogs in the Spring ; the flash of the fire flies in the Summer ; 

 and the sibillations of Orthopterous insects in the Fall. Other sights and sounds may be new 

 to him, but these intrude themselves so persistently upon his attention — there is so much of 

 them in every case — that they never fail to make a deep impression upon his mind. When he 

 walks out in a calm night of August or September, his ears are greeted with such a tweaking of 

 banjos from the black-crickets, that he almost expects these nigqer performers to start up a 

 plantation song for his amusement. He thinks to himself, (we may suppose) that the solo of 

 the " Cricket on the hearth '' of English writers is a very poor performance, compared with this 

 chorus of the Canadian crickets in the field. 



The name cricket is one of those imitative, onomatopjeic words, such as " wake-up," " pee- 

 wit," " aye-aye," etc. 



In my first year in the country-parts of Canada— long, long ago now — I was riding home at 

 midnight from a visit to sick friend. My road was a lonely one, leading through the valleys of 

 the Brome Mountains. I amused myself by putting together the following lines, suggested by 

 the surroundings : — 



On either side the road are rugged hills, 



And leafy branches mingle overhead ; 



O'er all, heaven's vast unclouded vault is spread, 

 Which the round moon with silver radiance fills, 

 The Gryllus chirrups ; the O^^canthus shrills — 



Ten-thousand quavering notes around are blent — 



The shaken air itself seems sibilant — 

 From every bush the constant burden trills. 

 It is to us as an outlandish tongue — 



We hear it, and pass on, acquiring nought ; 



We know not with what meanings it is fraught. 

 What triumphs, hopes and fears in it are sung. 

 To Him, who plann'd the Universe, alone 

 Ascends the import of each several tone. 



But things that make so much noise in the world, as the crickets make, are deserving of 

 more than passing attention ; and we may well spend a short time in looking into their structure, 

 their habits and their history. 



The crickets belong to the Orthoptera— Saltatoria or leaping straight -winged insects. 



The first in order of the Quebec species is, — 



