The Cricket. 



The Cricket. 

 I will introduce you to the grasshopper's cousin. 



73 



We 



found this little creature under the stone in the yard. What 

 is its name ? Describe it carefully. Are crickets easy to 

 catch ? How do they go ? How do you catch them ? Do 

 they bite? Do they sting? Can they jump as far as a 

 grasshopper can ? See how nature has fitted them for 

 jumping. Their hind legs are very much longer than their 



FIG. 15. , YOUNG CRICKET ; 6, FULL-GROWN CRICKET. 



fore legs. Are their wings like those of the grasshopper? 

 They are shorter. Can crickets make a noise ? W T e say 

 that they chirp. This cricket is black. Let us put a living 

 cricket under a glass and watch him. See how he moves 

 his jaws. 



Crickets feed on tender roots and leaves. Mole-crickets 

 often do much harm to the roots of plants, because they eat 

 them, and sometimes this kills the plants. Mole-crickets 



