NOISES OF INSECTS. 



319 



with various inflexions, describing curves, spirals, and other 

 figures difficult and tedious to describe, and producing a va- 

 riety of areolets of different size and shape, but generally 

 larger than those of the female : particularly towards the 

 extremity of the elytrum you may observe a space nearly 

 circular, surrounded by one nervure, and divided into two 

 areolets by another. 1 The friction of the nervures of the 

 upper or convex surface of the base of the left hand elytrum 

 — which is the undermost — against those of the lower or 

 concave surface of the base of the right hand — which is 

 the uppermost one ; will communicate vibrations to the areas 

 of membrane, more or less intense in proportion to the 

 rapidity of the friction, and thus produce the sound for which 

 these creatures are noted ; which, however, according to M. 

 Goureau, in his elaborate essay on the stridulation of insects, 

 is chiefly owing to the circumstance of one of the strong 

 nervures called by him the bow (Varchet) being striated or 

 cut transversely like a file, whence it has a much more 

 powerful action on another collection of nervures which he 

 calls the treble-string (la chanferelle).' 2 



The merry inhabitant of our dwellings, the house-cricket 

 ( Gryllus domesticns), though it is often heard by day, is most 

 noisy in the night. As soon as it grows dusk, its shrill note 

 increases till it becomes quite an annoyance, and interrupts 

 conversation. When the male sings, he elevates the elytra 

 so as to form an acute angle with the body, and then rubs 

 them against each other by a horizontal and very brisk mo- 

 tion. 3 The learned Scaliger is said to have been particularly 

 delighted with the chirping of these animals, and was ac- 

 customed to keep them in a box for his amusement. We are 

 told that they have been sold in Africa at a high price, and 

 employed to procure sleep. 4 If they could be used to sup- 

 ply the place of laudanum, and lull the restlessness of busy 

 thought in this country, the exchange would be beneficial. 

 Like many other noisy persons, crickets like to hear nobody 



1 Compare De Geer, iii. 512. 



2 Ann. Soc. Ent. de France, and Entom. Mag. v. 94. 



3 De Geer, iii. 517. See also White, Nat. Hist. ii. 76.; — and Ray, Hist. 

 Ins. 63. 



4 Mouffet, 136. 



