anatomy oj the mole-cricket. 
edges are opposed to the points and cutting edges of the true 
claws ; and hence the two parts, thus opposed to each other, 
act like the blades of a pair of shears. When first ! consi- 
dered this mechanism, and remembered that in the localities 
where I had found the animal, the earth was frequently tra- 
versed by fibrous vegetable roots, which must necessarily re- 
tard its progress, I supposed that it used this instrument 
as a pair of shears to cut through those fibres. It is Rosel's 
opinion, however, that the instrument is intended to clear the 
true claws of the dirt that may from time to time collect 
upon and clog them ; and unless both opinions be true, R6- 
sel's appears the more probable. But I have not yet con- 
cluded the account of the curious mechanism of this member : 
for the brush which has just been described, has only such 
an extent of motion as enables it to clear the two uppermost 
claws, or at most, the three uppermost; the two lower- 
most however may effectually be cleared by a kind of fea- 
thered spur, which, arising from the further extremity of the 
joint answering to the femur, proceeds directly towards the 
lowest part of the burrowing instrument, and is easily made 
to sweep over the surface of the two last claws by bending 
the intermediate joint, the only difference in its mode of 
action being, that it passes over their inner instead of their 
outer surface. 
The middle pair of legs, which are the smallest of the three 
pairs, arises from the under part of the first segment of the 
abdominal division : they pass out from the body at right 
angles to the abdomen, and usually are seen in that direction 
whether the animal be in motion or at rest. They consist 
each of four parts ; a very short coxa, a femur and tibia 
MDCCCXXV. G g 
