148 ORTHOPTEEA. 



IV. JUMPERS. (Orthaptera saltatoria.) 



These are by far the most abundant and prolific, and the 

 most destructive of the Orthopterous insects. They were all 

 included by Linnaeus in his great genus Gryllus, in separate 

 divisions, however, three of which correspond to the families 

 Achetadce,* Grylliadcerf and Locustiadce,% in my " Catalogue 

 of the Insects of Massachusetts," and may retain the synony- 

 mous English names of Crickets, Grasshoppers, and Locusts. 

 These three families may thus be distinguished from each 

 other. 



1. Crickets (Achetad^:) ; with the wing-covers horizon- 

 tal, and furnished with a narrow,, deflexed outer border ; 

 antennae long and tapering ; feet three-jointed (except CEcan- 

 thus, which has four joints to the hind feet) ; two tapering, 

 downy bristles at the end of the body, between which, in 

 most of the females, there is a long spear-pointed piercer. 



2. Grasshoppers (Geyllid^) ; with the wing-covers slop- 

 ing downwards at the sides of the body, or roofed, and not 

 bordered ; antennae long and tapering ; feet with four joints ; 

 end of the body, in the females, with a projecting sword or 

 sabre-shaped piercer. 



3. Locusts (Locustami) ; with the wing-covers roofed, 

 and not bordered ; antennae rather short, and in general not 

 tapering at the end ; feet with only three joints ; female with- 

 out a projecting piercer. 



1. Ckickets. (Achetadce.') 

 There may sometimes be seen in moist and soft ground, 

 particularly around ponds, little ridges or hills of loose fresh 

 earth, smaller than those which are formed by moles. They 

 cover little burrows, that usually terminate beneath a stone 

 or clod of turf. These burrows are made and inhabited by 

 mole-crickets, which are among the most extraordinary of 

 the cricket kind. The common mole-cricket of this country 



* Gryllus Acheta, Linnaeus. t Gryllus Teltigonia, L. J Gryllus Locusta, L. 



