The Cricket: the Pairing 



The cause of this longevity is obvious, 

 Nothing wears one out so quickly as life. 

 The wild Crickets have gaily spent their re- 

 serves of energy on the ladies; the more 

 fervent their ardour, the speedier their dis- 

 solution. The others, their incarcerated 

 kinsmen, leading a very quiet life, have ac- 

 quired a further period of existence by 

 reason of their forced abstinence from too 

 costly joys. Having neglected to perform 

 the superlative duty of a Cricket, they ob- 

 stinately refuse to die until the very last 

 moment. 



A brief study of the three other Crickets 

 of my neighbourhood has taught me nothing 

 of any interest. Possessing no fixed abode, 

 no burrow, they wander about from one tem- 

 porary shelter to another, under the dry 

 grass or in the cracks of the clods. They all 

 carry the same musical instrument as the 

 Field Cricket, with slight variations of de- 

 tail. Their song is much alike in all cases, 

 allowing for differences of size. The small- 

 est of the family, the Bordeaux Cricket, 

 stridulates outside my door, under the cover 

 of the box borders. He even ventures into 

 the dark corners of the kitchen, but his song 

 is so faint that it takes a very attentive cur 

 345 



