GRYLLIDjE. 
249 
It must be admitted, indeed, that a very intimate con- 
nection exists between them, and it is only by attend- 
ing to peculiarities which do not greatly influence the 
general appearance, that the distinction can be mani- 
fested. The Gryllidae have very long antennae, always 
as long as the body, and frequently of much greater 
length ; setaceous or nearly filiform, and consisting 
of numerous indistinct joints, often upwards of a 
hundred. The tarsi are four-jointed, and the females 
are provided with a very long compressed ovipositor, 
which projects from the hinder part of the body, and 
is usually somewhat curved upwards. The resem- 
blance the shape of this instrument bears to a sabre 
or cutlass, has led some Continental writers to name 
these insects Sauterelles d sabre. The head is per- 
pendicular or slighly incurved, and the tegmina are 
deflexed, partially embracing the abdomen. 
All these insects are herbivorous, the greater part 
of them feeding on grass and herbaceous plants, but 
not a few of them prefer the foliage of trees. They 
have been observed not to refuse animal food when 
accidentally placed in their way, but this has happened 
but rarely, and must be regarded as a violent devia- 
tion from their natural habits. They frequent mea- 
dows, pasture lands, and rocky declivities exposed to 
the sun, intimating their presence by an incessant 
chirping, and by leaping among the feet of the pas- 
senger. Very few of them inhabit this country, and 
such as we possess are, with one exception, of insig- 
nificant dimensions, contrasted with those of many 
foreign lands. Many finely coloured species are found 
