GRYLLID.E, 
101 
nymphs thrive on a diet of tiy grubs, worms and other small animal life 
making small burrows in the loose sand. 
Like other parts of the earth’s surface, the soil for some twenty feet 
down contains abundant insect and other life, which forms the food of 
the mole cricket and in search of which it burrows through the soil. 
When its burrows are near the surface, damage is caused to the roots of 
plants and the insect is destructive to this extent. 
The winged imago flies at night and comes to light very readily. 
In the rains they are often flooded out and in dry weather descend 
deeper for soil moisture. There are many ingenious ways of destroying 
them, none sufficiently effective to appeal to any but an economic 
entomologist. Two species occur in India. Gryllotalpa africana, Pal. B., 
which is widespread over the plains and lower hills (also through the 
warmer parts of Asia and Europe), and G. vulgaris , Latr., found in the 
Himalayas and common also in Europe, Egypt, Western Asia, etc. 
Throughout our area, africana alone appears to occur. 
The Myrmecophilince are small insects chiefly interesting because 
they are found in ant’s nests. A variety of Myrmecophila acervorum, 
