380 Canadian Record of Science. 



Another remarkable feature of the orthoptera, is the 

 musical power with which many of them are endowed. 

 They are instrumentalists, not vocalists, as the orthoptera, 

 like all other insects, breathe through spiracles, and are, of 

 course, voiceless. In reality, the song of an orthopterous 

 insect is a sexual call, and is almost entirely confined to the 

 males — entirely so in the crickets, some species of which go 

 through quite an elaborate performance, as may be easily 

 seen by watching the common striped cricket, Nemobius 

 vittatus. 



When a male of this species wishes to attract the notice 

 of the female, he advances towards her, and raising the 

 wings and wing-covers, rasps them together with a shrill 

 creaking sound, now and again jerking himself forward 

 with a convulsive movement, touching the female with the 

 antenna, at times dancing around in a frantic manner. 

 Should the female be pleased with his attentions, she turns 

 around, and seizing him, draws him beneath her, when 

 copulation takes place. Should his song prove unsuccessful, 

 the little minstrel either stops shrillirig, or turns his atten- 

 tion to another female. I have not observed the courtship 

 of our other species, but it is probably much the same in 

 all. Mr. W. H. Harrington, speaking of JEcanthus niveus, 

 says, " An interesting feature of its concerts is one of 

 which I have not been able to find any mention in books 

 accessible. While the male is energetically shuffling to- 

 gether its wings, raised almost vertically, the female may 

 be seen standing just behind it, and with her head applied 

 to the base of the wings, evidently eager to get the full 

 benefit of every note produced." 



The courtship of Ectobia germanica, is very similar, but is 

 unaccompanied by any sound, nor are the wings shuffled 

 together. The male follows the female until her attention 

 is attracted, when turning around, and raising the wings 

 until they form a right angle with the body, backs up to, 

 and seized by the female. I have only seen actual copula- 

 tion take place in Nemobius, but have little doubt that in 

 both Blatidce and G-ryllidoe, the male never takes possession 

 of the female by force. 



