200 WHITE 



some grass grounds and an arable field so broken and rifted 

 by the chasms as to be rendered for a time neither fit for the 

 plough nor safe for pasturage, till considerable labor and ex- 

 pense had been bestowed in levelling the surface and filling in 

 the gaping fissures. 



LETTER XLVI 



" resonant arbusta." 



SELBORNE. 



THERE is a steep, abrupt pasture field and interspersed with 

 furze close to the back of this village, well known by the name 

 of Short Lith, consisting of a rocky dry soil, and inclining to 

 the afternoon sun. This spot abounds with the gryllus cam- 

 festris t or field-cricket ; which, though frequent in these parts, 

 is by no means a common insect in many other countries. 



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 of them ; for 

 feeling a person's footsteps as he advances, 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 with- 

 out 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 multi- 

 tude of eggs, which were long and narrow, of a yellow color, 

 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 black, with a golden stripe across his shoul- 

 ders ; the latter is more dusky, more capacious about the ab- 

 domen, and carries a long, sword-shaped weapon at her tail, 

 which probably is the instrument 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, 





