90 LIFE IN THK INSECT WORLD. 



Crickets are of the same tribe or family of in- 

 sects as the grasshopper, which they resemble 

 in appearance. The sound of which I have 

 been speaking is made under the wings, and 

 only by the male cricket ; the female is always 

 silent. 



They do not require as much of the mother's 

 care as most other insects ; for as soon as they 

 are hatched, they are sufficiently strong and 

 active to seek their own food, and may be seen 

 hopping about the hearth when they are not 

 much larger than a flea. 



They do not provide houses or nests for the 

 accommodation of themselves and their young, 

 but establish themselves in warm chimneys or 

 ovens, where they scrape out holes in the mor- 

 tar, and take up their winter quarters. They 

 generally prefer a kitchen chimney where there 

 is a constant fire, and where they can readily 

 supply themselves with board as well as lodg- 

 ing ; for they are fond of bread, vegetables, 

 broth, and pot skimmings, and are very willing, 

 also, to have a little animal food occasionally, 

 in the form of a cockroach, or some such dainty. 

 They have often been known to destroy wet 



