THE CRICKETS 



965 



He is a remarkably prolific insect, and 

 the on.ly reliable means of lessening his 

 numbers is the destruction of his eggs. 

 This may be accomplished by following 

 a surface run with the finger until one 

 reaches the perpendicular shaft, some- 

 times as much as a foot in depth, which 

 leads to his breeding quarters. A spade 

 is then driven in suddenl}', and, if for- 

 tune favours, the " nest " is turned up. 

 The latter is merely an excavation of 

 about the size of a tennis ball, which often 

 contains nothing, but which may contain 

 the female Cricket surrounded by her 

 eggs, sometimes as many as three hundred 

 in number, or by her immature 

 progeny. It is obvious that this 

 method is a slow one, and that it 

 entails considerable labour. Numer- 

 ous experiments have been made 

 by Continental agriculturists with the 

 object of bringing oil into contact 

 with the JMole Cricket's spiracles. If 

 this can be done, it is a highly 

 effective m.eans of destruction, but 

 the expense and uncertainty attach- 

 ing to it preclude its employment 

 otherwise than on quite a small ^ 

 scale, and the discoveiy of some 

 more certain, more easily applied 

 and cheaper remedy would be warmly 

 welcomed on the Continent. 



In Great Britain the Mole Cricket, 

 whatever may have been his distri- 

 bution in Gilbert White's time, must 

 now be reckoned a scarce insect. Ke 

 is common in the Channel Islands, but 

 with this exception he is practically con- 

 fined to that small group of southern 

 counties which appear to derive their 

 fauna from their proximity to the New 

 Forest. All observers, from Gilbert White 

 onwards, are agreed as to his normal 

 liking for moist surroundings, and I have 

 found captive specimens thrive best in a 

 moist heat, care of course being taken 

 not to cause them discomfort by any 

 unnecessary exposure to sunshine. 



A few lines must be devoted to the 

 House Cricket — the " Cricket on the 

 Hearth." How much of his fame is due 

 to his comparative abimdance, and how 

 much to the genius of Charles Dickens, 

 it is impossil)le to determine. From the 

 frequency of reference to him in literature 

 of the past, and the infrequency of first- 



hand experience of him in literature of 

 the present, I am inclined to think that 

 he is less common than he used to be. It 

 has been suggested that the Cockroach 

 has supplanted him in the kitchen, though 

 he still holds his own in the bakehouse. 

 He must be regarded as a parasitic in- 

 sect ; it is very unusual to find one out 

 of doors, and, when he is out of doors, 

 he is usually in the manure heap. 

 His original starting point is as much of 

 a mystery as is that of the rats or mice. 

 His song is pleasing to some ears, but I 

 must confess that it soon becomes monot- 

 onous to my own. Unlike the Field 



THE FOkEQUAKTERS OF A SPhCl.Mi-N 3101.E 

 CRICKET. 

 The extraordinary modification of the fore limb into a 

 dialing tool should he noticed. C, the coxa. F, the 

 femur, or thi.ah, with a blade projection from the base, 

 which engages (see left-hand limb) with the hindmost 

 projection of the wonderful tiha, or shin, T, forming a 

 pair of shears. Only the extremities of the tarsal joints, 

 T', which form another pair of shears with the tibia, T, 

 are visible. It has been estimated that the Mole Cricket 

 employs a force equal to 2 or 3 lbs. 



Cricket, he is an excellent jumper and 

 runner, and requires some catching, the 

 simplest method being to invert a tumbler 

 o\'er him. I have found him a most 

 difficult insect to keep in captivity, even 

 when due precautions have been taken 

 to keep him in a high temperature. The 

 degree of heat which he enjoys, the ease 

 with which he can scuttle over smoulder- 

 ing embers, and the frequency with which 

 he will wedge himself between hot-water 

 pipes, are alike astonishing. Unlike most 

 insects whose habitations are dark, he is 

 a light ash-brown when mature, and 

 whitish in the early larval stages. 



Of our foiuth species, the Wood Cricket, 

 I have no first-hand knowledge. Though 

 abundant on the Continent, he apj^ears 

 in this country to be confined to the 

 New Forest. Douglas English. 



