ORDER ORTHOPTERA. • 59 



pestris\ which is rather larger than the house cricket. It is 

 comparatively rare and local in this country, but abounds every- 

 where on the Continent. 



A third British species is the Wood Cricket {Nemolicus sylvestris), 

 which is considerably rarer than either of the preceding. It is 

 found abundantly among dead leaves in woods in France 

 and other parts of the Continent, but is very rarely found in 

 England. 



The JNIole Cricket {Gryllofalpa vulgaris) is perhaps the most 

 interesting member of the family. It is a large, robust insect, 

 about an inch and a half in length and of a very dark brown 

 colour. It is remarkable for the peculiar shape of its front legs, 

 which exactly resemble those of the mole. 



It burrows in loose soil, and, like the mole, it passes along close 

 beneath the surface of the ground, and often raises a small ridge 



Fig. 72. — Gicanthus Pellucens. 



as it advances. It frequents gardens, especially near the banks 

 of canals, and is also fond of damp meadows and other localities 

 in the vicinity of water. 



The eggs to the number of 200 or 300, are deposited in a 

 chamber of considerable dimensions, and enclosed in a sort of 

 cocoon-like envelope. 



The larvcB when first hatched are white, and are said to be 

 three years in arriving at a state of maturity. The mole cricket 

 is found chiefly in the south of England. 



Family 5, Gryllidce. — The most conspicuous insect belonging 

 to this family in Britain is known as the great Green Grasshopper 

 {Fhasgonura viridissima), which measures nearly four inches in 

 expanse of the wing, and is therefore nearly as large as the 

 migratory locust which sometimes visits us. 



The great green grasshopper is not, however, a very common 



