212 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



that composed them ; a hanging coppice was changed to 

 a naked rock ; and some grass grounds and an arable field 

 so broken and rifted by the chasms as to be rendered, for 

 a time, neither fit for the 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 



Selbome. 

 " resonant arbusU " 



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 atten- 

 tion 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 inad- 

 vertently 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 



