STRAIGHT-WINGED INSECTS. 



187 



found upon plants and trees, where it sits for hours, 

 holding up its fore legs, ready to seize any insect which 



Fig. 326. — American Mantis. 



comes within reach. Some of the superstitious inhabi- 

 tants of the East believe that at such times the Mantis 

 is engaged in religious devotions. Figure 326 repre- 

 sents the only kind found in the United States. 



Crickets. 



Crickets have a flattened body, long antennje, and 

 long appendages behind. The males chirrup to attract 

 their mates, and this familiar sound 

 is often heard throughout the night. 

 It is produced by rubbing the wings 

 against one another. The most com- 

 mon Crickets of the fields are dark- 

 colored, but some, like the Climbing 

 Crickets, are white. The Mole Crick- 

 ets have fore feet resembling those 

 of the Mole, and well adapted for 

 digging. They burrow in the ground, 

 and prey upon other insects. Some kinds of Crickets 

 take up their abode in houses, and the sound of " the 

 cricket on the hearth " is a familiar one to people who 

 live in the country. 



Fig. 327. — Wliite 

 Climbing Cricket. 



