OF SELBORNE 277 
LETTER XLII. 
Selborne. 
‘« Resonant arbusta.” 
Tuerz is a steep, abrupt pasture-field, inter- 
spersed with furze, close to the back of this village, 
well known by the name of the Short Lithe, con- 
sisting of a rocky, dry soil, and inclining to the af- 
ternoon sun. This spot abounds with the gryllus 
campestris, or field-cricket,* which, though frequent 
in these parts, is by no means a common insect in 
many other counties. 
As their cheerful summer cry cannot but draw 
the attention of a naturalist, I have often gone 
down to examine the economy of these grylli, and 
study their mode of life; but they are so shy and 
cautious that it is no easy matter to get a sight ot 
them ; for, feeling a person’s footsteps as he ad. 
vances, they stop short in the midst of their song, 
and retire backward nimbly into their burrows, 
where they lurk till all suspicion of danger is over. 
At first we attempted to dig them out with a 
spade, but without any great success; for either 
we could not get to the bottom of the hole, which 
often terminated under a great stone; or else, in 
breaking up the ground, we inadvertently squeezed 
the poor insect to death. We took a multitude 
of eggs, which were long and narrow, of a yellow. 
colour, and covered with a very tough skin. By 
this accident we learned to distinguish the male 
from the female, the former of which is shining 
* Acheta campestris, Fabricius. 
Aa 
