22 



GUIDE TO INSECTS. 



Table- 

 case 33. 



young are seen to be nearly fully developed in the body of the female 

 exhibited in the case, but whether these leave the body in an active 

 condition or not is still uncertain. 



Fig. 20. 



Family G-ryllid^e. 



The jumping Orthoptera {Saltatorid) begin in the second half of 

 this case. The first family is the Gryllidce,, or Crickets (1201-1212). 

 These are characterised by their long thread-like antennas ; and tarsi 

 composed of three joints only. A few species have only two joints. 

 The tarsi are hairy or spiney beneath, not provided with soft pads 

 as in the following family. The basal joint is very long, and is 

 nearly always famished with a spine at each apical angle, the one on 

 the inner side being much longer than the other. The species are 

 nearly all of a brownish or horn colour. 



The chirping of the common house Cricket and other Crickets 

 is caused by rubbing one wing over the other. The males only 

 produce this sound. The wings are nearly alike, and the right one 

 is generally, but not always, uppermost. The veins are much 

 contorted so as to produce a more or less drum-like space in the 

 wing. One vein is file-like on the under side, and this plays like 

 a bow on a raised part of the margin of the drum 

 and causes the well-known sound (1209, 1213). In 

 the male Harpinus flight is sacrificed to this power 

 of producing sound, the hind wings are absent, and 

 the front pair are converted into a drum. 



Most of the species burrow in the ground, or live 

 under stones or in caves. Nemeobius sylvestris, 

 found in the New Forest and in woods, lives among 

 dead leaves. The Mole-cricket (Gryllotalpa, 1201) 

 has the front legs specially adapted for burrowing. 

 The tibia, which is very short, has prong-like pro- 

 jections below, the spurs are long, and the lower 

 angle of the first and second joints of the tarsi are 

 produced and thus form part of the burrowing 

 apparatus. Cylindrodes (fig. 20) has a somewhat 

 similar apparatus, but it is formed in a totally 

 different manner. The prong-like projections are 

 part of the upper edge of the tibia ; the spurs are 

 absent ; and the tarsus, which is simple and too 

 delicate to assist in burrowing, lies back on the inner side of the 

 tibia, where it is protected. 



Cylindrodes 

 Kochii. 



