70 NATURAL HISTORY 



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 bur- 

 rows, 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 suc- 

 cess j 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 



