246 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



black, with a golden stripe across his shoulders ; the latter is more 

 dusky, more capacious about the abdomen, and carries a long 

 sword- shaped weapon at her tail, which probably is the instru- 

 ment with which she deposits her eggs in crannies and safe 

 receptacles. 



Where violent methods will not avail, more gentle means will 

 often succeed, and so it proved in the present case ; for, though 

 a spade be too boisterous and rough an implement, a pliant stalk 

 of grass, gently insinuated into the caverns, will probe their wind- 

 ings to the bottom, and quickly bring out the inhabitant ; and 

 thus the humane inquirer may gratify his curiosity without injuring 

 the object of it. It is remarkable, that though these insects are 

 furnished with long legs behind, and brawny thighs for leaping, 

 like grasshoppers ; yet when driven from their holes they show no 

 activity, but crawl along in a shiftless manner, so as easily to be 

 taken ; and again, though provided with a curious apparatus of 

 wings, yet they never exert them when there seems to be the 

 greatest occasion. The males only make that shrilling noise, 

 perhaps, out of rivalry and emulation, as is the case with many 

 animals which exert some sprightly note during their breeding- 

 time. It is raised by a brisk friction of one wing against the 

 other. They are solitary beings, living singly male and female, 

 each as it may happen ; but there must be a time when the sexes 

 have some intercourse, and then the wings may be useful perhaps 

 during the hours of night. When the males meet they will 

 fight fiercely, as I found by some which I put into the crevices of 

 a dry stone wall, where I should have been glad to have made 

 them settle. For though they seemed distressed by being taken 

 out of their knowledge, yet the first that got possession of the 

 chinks would seize on any other that were intruded upon them 

 with a vast row of serrated fangs. With their strong jaws, toothed 

 like the shears of a lobster's claws, they perforate and round their 

 curious regular cells, having no fore-claws to dig, like the mole- 

 cricket. When taken in hand I could not but wonder that they 

 never offered to defend themselves, though armed with such for- 

 midable weapons. Of such herbs as grow before the mouths of 

 their burrows they eat indiscriminately, and on a little platform 



