OF SELBORNE. 347 



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 footsteeps 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 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 black, with a golden 



HELD CIIICKET. 



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 

 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 pre- 

 sent case : for though a spade be too boisterous and 

 rough an implement, a pliant stalk of grass, gently insi- 

 nuated into the caverns, will probe their windings to 



