CLASS I. INSECTA: ORDER 8. ORTHOPTERA. 
591 
THE MOLE-CEICKET. 
man, AA'hcn they establish themselves in the ncigliborhood of the fire-place, in some room on the 
ground floor, generally preferring the kitchen, where their monotonous chirping may generally be 
heard in the winter evenings. In summer, however, they remove their quarters to the open air, 
talcing up their abode apparently in the crevices of garden walls and similar situations. In fine 
summer evenings they sing most pertinaciously in the open air. Their food, when in the house, 
consists of crumbs of bread and similar household refuse, which are generally to be found in 
abundance on the kitchen hearth. They come into the houses about the end of August, prob- 
ably to breed, as minute larvee, not more than U line in length, may often be seen later in the 
autumn swarming about hearths inhabited by these insects. 
Another species is the Pield-Crickkt, A, cainpestris^ a timid animal which avoids the society 
of man, living all the year 
round in the burrows which 
it forms in sandy banks among 
stones. This is much larger 
and louder in its sono- than the 
domestic species, but it is by 
no means so common, frequent- 
ing only hot sandy districts. 
A still more remarkable in- 
sect belonging to this tribe, 
is the Mole-Cricket, Gryllo- 
taljM vulgai-is^ which, both in 
its structure and habits, pre- 
sents no inconsiderable resem- 
blance to the mole. Like that 
animal it is constantly engaged 
in burrowing in the earth ; and to enable it to do this with facility its anterior limbs are converted 
into a pair of flat, fossorial organs, which are turned outward in exactly the same manner as the 
hand of the mole. In its passage through the earth it does great injury to the roots of plants, 
but it is said to live quite as much upon animal as vegetable food. 
THE GRTLLINA. 
This tribe includes the Orassho2:)2oers, of which there are many species in most countries. The 
Carolina Grasshopper, Gryl- 
lus Carolina^ is a large species 
with brown Avings, common in 
our grass-y fields in August, 
September, and October; they 
rise when approached and fly 
for the distance of a few feet, 
when they alight. There are 
many other species, many of 
which are only able to leap, 
without the power of flight. 
The Gryllus dux of South 
America has wings of an ex- 
panse of twelve inches, beauti- 
fully illuminated with red and 
blue colors, with black spots. 
The Katydid, Platyphyllum 
concavtivi, is one of the most 
THE CAROLINA GRASSHOPPER. ' 
noted of our grasshoppers, on 
account of its familiar song in the early autumn evenings, consisting of a continued ciy of Katy- 
