212 The Natural History- 



plough or safe for pasturage, till considerable labour 

 and expense had been bestowed in levelling the surface 

 and filling in the gaping fissures. 



LETTER XLVI 



TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON 



Selborne. 

 . . . "resonant arbusta" . . . 



There is a steep abrupt pasture field interspersed with 

 furze close to the back of this village, well known by the 

 name of the Short Lithe, consisting of a rocky dry soil, 

 and inclining to the afternoon sun. This spot abounds 

 with the gryllus campestris^ or field-cricket ; which, 

 though frequent in these parts, is by no means a 

 common insect in many other counties. 



As their cheerful summer cry cannot but draw the 

 attention of a naturalist, I have often gone down to 

 examine the oeconomy 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 footsteps 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 dis- 

 tinguish the male from the female ; the former of which 

 is shining black, with a golden stripe across his shoulders ; 

 the latter is more dusky, more capacious about the 

 abdomen, and carries a long sword-shaped weapon at her 



