22 BRITISH INSECTS 



mina) are relatiyely narrow and much thickened, 

 serving as covers for the larger, more delicate hind- 

 wings, which fold up like a fan. Orthoptera may be 

 divided into two sections, according as they habitually 

 walk or leap. Thus, in the cockroaches the hind-legs 

 are used for walking or running, and do not differ 

 greatly from the other legs in appearance ; but in the 

 grasshoppers and crickets the hind-legs are very long, 

 with their femora often greatly thickened, and the 

 insect usually progresses by a series of leaps. The 

 young of Orthoptera (like those of earwigs) closely re- 

 emble their parents, save in size and in the absence 

 of functional wings. 



The most familiar example of the running, or cur- 

 sorial, Orthoptera viz., the common cockroach, 1 or 

 " black-beetle," of our kitchens is not indigenous, but 

 an immigrant from the East. It is practically cosmo- 

 politan in its range, having been carried from one 

 country to another by shipping. The male is capable 

 of flight, but the wings of the female are reduced to 

 small, movable plates, which reach back only to the 

 third segment of the thorax. Like many of its near 

 relatives, this insect is nocturnal in habit, and hides by 

 day in dark crevices. It is nearly omnivorous, and in 

 captivity feeds readily on its own weaker brethren, 

 although when choice is possible it appears to favour 

 a vegetarian diet. Onion is a coveted dainty, and is 

 said to be one of the best baits for a " black-beetle " 

 trap. 



Our native species of the cockroach family, 2 three 



in number, all belong to the genus Ectobia. They are 



much smaller than their domesticated relative, and are 



not found in houses. The commonest seems to be the 



1 Blatta orientalis. 2 Blattida. 



