THE GREEN FIELD-CRICKET. 183 



The Knoppern galls do not occur with us; five species of 

 Syneif/us and Megasliynius stiyinaticans are connected with 

 them. Like the gall-maker all are to be bred in the spring 

 and early summer of" the second year. The economy of 

 Synergus vulgaris in this gall is interesting. — E. A. FiTCH. 



THE GREEN FIELD-CRICKET (ACRIDA VIRIDISSIMA). 

 By W. G. Tenant. 



On August 14th, 1876, a friend gave me a male specimen 

 of this interesting and handsome insect. I made a house for 

 him — consisting of a box, the top of which, instead of having 

 a lid, was nearly covered by a pane of glass — for the purpose 

 of observing his habits ; over where the glass did not cover 

 1 fastened a piece of perforated zinc, thus admitting both 

 light and air. 



Amongst his habits, which under these circumstances 

 did not seem to be multifarious, the commonest one was 

 the licking of his tarsi, which, by the way, I suspect 

 was often done for the purpose of making a sure footing 

 in walking ; and especially would he do this while 

 walking, body inverted, on the under side of the 

 glass cover of his house, for I observed that when he 

 apparently failed to adhere to the glass, and he was in 

 danger of falling to the bottom, then he would lick the tarsi; 

 after which he was enabled to pursue his course in safety. 

 So often as the tarsi appeared to fail to adhere, so often did 

 he place them in his mouth ; and from this fact I have very 

 little doubt but that the secretion with which he moistened 

 them enabled him to walk, body inverted, with safety, i can 

 hardly suppose it was so often done for the purposes of 

 cleanliness only. 



He was ravenous at times, killing and eating a moth 

 {Tnjp/i(eiia pronuba), though, so far as I observed, he 

 never seemed to notice their presence, and only attacked 

 them when they approached him. With his mandibles he 

 scooped out the contents of the abdomen, seldom mutilating 

 to any extent the integument. A mischievous urchin placed 

 a humble-bee in his cage, which I allowed to remain, though 

 not with any easy mind, being afraid it might sting and hurt 

 the cricket. Very soon afterwards, however, I was sur|)rised 

 to find the bee lying helpless at the bottom of the cage : how 



