ORDER IIIl.—STRAIGHT-WINGED INSECTS. 3 
ta nivea, Fig. 25), is a very delicate insect, of a pale ivory 
color, with long antenne, and a short 
body, only half an inch in length; its 
wing-covers are thin, transparent, and 
ornamented with three oblique, raised 
lines. Like the Katydid, it is often 
seen creeping upon the leaves of trees 
and shrubs, without being recognized 
as the little creature whose loud and 
shrill sound is so familiar. Only the 
male Cricket produces this sound, 
which it does by elevating its sharp 
wing-covers very high and rubbing 
them together very rapidly. The pro- 
cess may be distinctly seen by keep- 
ing one under a glass tumbler and watching its movements. 
They are, however, quite difficult to catch, as they conceal 
themselves behind the leaves during the day and night, and 
only occasionally come out of their shady abode. 
In the beginning of autumn the female makes incisions 
into the tender branches upon which it dwells, and therein 
deposits her eggs. These are not hatched until the com- 
mencement of the following summer, when the young ones 
come out, and attain their perfect condition about the first 
of August, and in southern climates even before that time. 
The Fre.p-crickets (Acheta nigra et vittata) are black, 
and so well known to every one that a minute description 
of them would be superfluous. They live in meadows and 
the margins of fields, where the grass is not very high, and 
the spot constantly exposed to the sun. They select a 
small spot of rising ground for their abodes, which they 
make by digging holes into the ground, at first in a horizon- 
tal direction, and then perpendicularly downward. They 
always walk into their holes backward, that is to say, with 
their hind legs first, and while singing are usually standing 
Figure 25, 

The Tree-cricket. 
