THE CMIVKETS. 123 



developed, and shows a remarkable internal armature of chitinous pieces. The Crickets fly freely at 

 night, but their saltatorial powers are inferior to those of the other members of the tribe, 



Although most of the species reside in the ground, in burrows and cavities which they dig out for 

 themselves, they do not all possess special fossorial organs; and the family is divided into two groups, 

 according as the fore legs are constructed for walking or digging. The well-known common House 

 Cricket (Gryllus domesticus) belongs to the former section, although it burrows freely by means of its 

 strong mandibles into the mortar between the bricks of fireplaces, ovens, &c. Living as they do in 

 the immediate vicinity of the tire, the House Crickets seem to be independent of the changes of the 

 seasons, and may usually be found of all ages at all periods of the year. During hot summer 

 weather, however, they often make their way out of doors, and even in London their chirp may 

 be heard at night, proceeding apparently from the house-tops. A nearly-allied British species is the 

 Field Cricket (Gryllus campestris), which is rather larger than the House Cricket, and of a black 

 colour, with the base of the tegmina yellow. It is a comparatively rare, or rather very local species 

 in England, but abounds in Southern Europe. It makes burrows from six inches to a foot in depth 

 in sunny, sandy places, using its mandibles in the operation. The insect sits in the mouth of its 

 burrow on the look-out for passing insects, which constitute the greater part of its diet. Its chirping 

 is much louder than that of the House Cricket, but it is particularly shy and timid, retreating to the 

 bottom of its burrow at the least suspicion of danger. The female is said to lay about 300 large 

 white eggs, which she deposits in the ground in a mass, glued together and to the side of the burrow 

 by a sticky secretion. The larvse are hatched about the end of July, and remain in the larva state 

 through the winter. A third British species is the Wood Cricket (Nemobius sylvestris), which is 

 much smaller than either of the preceding, and in which the hind wings are rudimentary. It is found 

 abundantly among dead leaves in woods in France and other parts of the continent, but is rare and 

 local in England. A still more remarkable species, which may be called the Ants'-nest Cricket 

 (M t/rmecophilo, acervorum), has neither tegmina nor wings, and in the broadly oval form of the body 

 more resembles a minute Cockroach than a Cricket, a similarity which is increased by the partial 

 concealment of the head beneath the front of the prothorax. It has, however, very strongly 

 developed leaping posterior legs, which it uses in case of need with great effect. This curious little 

 insect is found in France, Germany, and other parts of Eui'ope in Ants' nests, or associated with Ants 

 under stones. The ovipositor is short, and forked at the end. 



Most of the species of this first division of the family agree in general characters with the 

 common House Crickets and Field Crickets. They have ambulatory front legs, the females have an 

 ovipositor, and the ocelli are usually deficient. In the second group, the members of which are 

 generally more exclusively subterranean in their habits, living habitually, like the Mole, in galleries 

 and chambers which they dig out in the ground, not only are the front legs converted into special 

 digging organs, but the females have no ovipositor, and the crown of the head has generally two or 

 three ocelli. Their organisation is in many respects very singular, and it is remarkable that they are 

 as widely distributed over the earth's surface as their more normally constructed relatives. The 

 British Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa vulgaris), which may be taken as a type of the whole group, is a 

 large robust insect over an inch and a half in length, of a dark brown colour, with a very large ovate 

 prothorax, and short, irregularly oval tegmina, beyond which and the apex of the abdomen the wings 

 extend far when folded up. In the character of the fore legs, the insect presents a singular analogy 

 with the Moles. These limbs are very stout, and articulated in such a manner that they are thrown 

 out from the sides of the prothorax in the most convenient position for digging, and the tibiae, which 

 constitute the actual digging parts, are flattened transversely to the axis of the body, triangular in 

 form, and terminated by four finger-like processes. The tarsi are inserted near the end of the outer 

 margin of the tibise, and are short and stout. Owing to the great amount of force necessary to work 

 these implements, the muscles connected with them are very greatly developed, and this explains the 

 large size of the prothorax in which they are contained, and which also possesses a remarkable internal 

 framework of processes for the attachment of these muscles. The insect in burrowing is said to exert 

 a force equal to two or three pounds. Like the Mole, it passes along close beneath the surface of the 

 ground, and often raises a small ridge as it advances. It frequents gardens, especially near the banks 

 of canals and other pieces of water, and also moist meadows, and is described as frequently causing 



