ORTHOPTERA. 123 



der. The pale line is most distinct in the female, and is often- 

 times entirely wanting in the male. 



We have another species with very short or abortive wings ; it is 

 entirely of a black color, and measures six tenths of an inch in 

 length from the head to the end of the body. It may be called 

 Jlcheta nigra, the black cricket. 



A third species, differing from these two in being entirely 

 destitute of wings, and in having the wing-covers proportionally 

 much shorter, and the last joint of the feelers (palpi) almost 

 twice the length of the preceding joint, is furthermore dis- • 

 tinguished from them by its greatly inferior size, and its dif- 

 ferent coloring. It measures from three to above four tenths 

 of an inch in length, and varies in color from dusky brown to 

 rusty black, the wing-covers and hindmost thighs being always 

 somewhat lighter. In the brownish colored varieties three longi- 

 tudinal black lines are distinctly visible on the top of the head, 

 and a black line on each side of the thorax, which is continued 

 along the sides of the wing-covers to their tips. This black line 

 on the wing-covers is never wanting, even in the darkest varieties. 

 The hindmost thighs have, on the outside, three rows of short 

 oblique black lines, presenting somewhat of a twilled appearance. 

 This is one of the social species, which, associated together in 

 great swarms, and feeding in common, frequent our meadows and 

 road-sides, and, so far from avoiding the light of day, seem to be 

 quite as fond of it as others are of darkness. It may be called 

 Acheta vittata*, the striped cricket. 



These kinds of crickets live upon the ground, and among the 

 grass and low herbage ; but there is another kind which inhabits 

 the stems and branches of shrubs and trees, concealing itself during 

 the daytime among the leaves, or in the flowers of these plants. 

 Some Isabella grape-vines, which were trained against one side of 

 my house, were much resorted to by these delicate and noisy little 

 crickets. The males begin to be heard about the middle of Au- 

 gust, and do not leave us until after the middle of September. 

 Their shrilling is excessively loud, and is produced, like that of 

 other crickets, by the rubbing of one wing-cover against the other ; 



* It belongs to M. Serville's new genus JVctriobius. 



