THE MOLE CRICKET 381 



antiquary Lhwyd, writing to John Ray from Oxford, 

 December 12, 1693, says : — 



" I observed near Kidwelly, in Caermarthen- 

 shire, this last summer, that the Gryllotalpcs live 

 there in the sea-lands that are covered every tide. 

 I brought one of them with me, and cannot find 

 that they differ from those of the Midland counties. 

 In Wales they are called Rhing y L^s, i.e., Stridor 

 ^stivitatis. (Derham, Philosophical Letters, 17 18, 



P- 273-) 



Early in the year it leaves its winter hiding- 

 place and commences to tunnel near the surface. 

 A nest is formed in a cup-shaped cavity about \\ 

 in. in diameter, the surface of which is flattened by 

 pressure. In this the eggs, between 200 and 300, 

 and of a dull yellow colour, are laid in clusters. 

 The young crawl out in spring, and are at first 

 wingless. They are of a dirty white colour at birth, 

 but gradually turn brown. Undergoing a succes- 

 sion of moults before they reach the adult stage, 

 they grow pretty fast, and begin to lead an 

 independent life after the second moult. A third 

 moult takes place in autumn (in October and 

 November), when, still in a wingless condition, 

 they hide, and do not moult again till the following 

 April or May, when the wing cases appear ; while 

 after the fifth moult, in May or June, the Mole 

 Cricket becomes an adult insect able to fly, and 

 capable of reproducing its species. These details 

 of its life history are given by a Dutch naturalist, 

 Dr Ritzema Bos, in his treatise on Agricultural 

 Zoology, of which a translation by Professor 



