THE DOMESTIC CRICKET. 



29 



by these insects opinions would vary, but since the domestic 

 crickets have found a home in some of the houses of Minne- 

 apolis and elsewhere, there seems to be but one opinion in re- 

 gard to them, and this is that'they are a great nuisance. Agents 



whose business it is to 

 rent houses are especially 

 hard in their denuncia- 

 tions of these crickets of 

 the hearth, called by po- 

 etic license musical in- 

 sects. Theysaythat 

 they are very destructive, 

 that a hcaise invaded by 

 them could not be rented, 

 and they have tried all 

 sorts of methods to get rid 

 of them but have failed 

 to do so in many cases. 

 The insects are like the 

 English sparrow^s, which 

 have come to stay, and 

 this regardless of the opinions ofoi her inhabitants of houses. 

 The general history of this insect is very similar to that 

 of other crickets. They are nocturnal in their habits and 

 hide during the day in dark cracks and crevices, providing 

 such shelters are dry. Their motions are very rapid, and 

 though they are enabled to jump, their plumpness induces 

 them to prefer running to jumping. Being lovers of dryness 

 and warmth they are apt to make their homes near stoves 

 in kitchens and living-rooms; and in olden times, when the 

 iire-places were open and built of brick, they found numer- 

 ous shelters in such places, hence their name "Cricket of the 

 hearth." Their mere presence in our houses Vv'ould not be so 

 very bad if it were not for the fact that the adult males were 

 so active in producing love-songs by scraping their upper 

 wings together, and judging from these long-continued songs 

 their love is of a most lasting character. These wings are 

 transformed for the purpose of producing sounds into a sort 

 of musical instrument. During their love-season, \vhich ac- 



Fig. 18. — Domestic cricket; a, 

 male; c, larva. Slightly enlarged. 

 <:henburg. 



male; h, fe- 

 After Tas- 



