70 NATURAL HISTORY 



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 ceconomy 

 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 of them ; for, 

 eeling a person's footsteps as he advances^ 

 they stop short in the midst of their song, 

 and retire backward nimbly into their bur- 

 rows, 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. Out of one so bruised 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 



