FAMILY VII.—GRYLLID^J.

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A. Hind tibiae furnished with long, mobile, pilose spines;first joint of hind tarsi unarmed above or with one

row of serrations... Nemohius.

AA. Hind tibiae armed with strong fixed spines; first jointof hind tarsi sulcate, with two rows of serrations.

Gryllus.

Most crickets, if not having a home in cracks, in walls,or below stones, make burrows in the ground in which theylive. The eggs are laid in the autumn, and usually in theground, after which the greater number of the old cricketsdie; a few survive, however. The eggs hatch quite early inthe spring. The insects are omnivorous, feeding upon allkinds of decaying matter as well as upon living plants, hencemust be classed among the injurious insects; they eat alsomany insects, and freshljr dropped cow dung seems to be es-pecially attractive to them. Those crickets that make bur-rows in the ground can become quite injurious by exposingthe roots of plants to the drying influence of the air.

GENUS Nemobius Serville.

Small sized species. Head and thorax with compara-tively long hairs; first and second joints of maxillary palpiminute, third and fifth joints of about equal length, fourthjoint smaller. The venation of the wing-covers of the femalediffers from Gryllus, the veins running longitudinally, whilein Gryllus they run obliquely from both sides, thus forminglozenge-shaped spaces between. Hind tibiaewith longspinesof unequal length. Ovipositor straight, longer or shorterthan the abdomen.

Nemobius fasciatus DeGeer.

SMALL STRIPED GROUND-CRICKET.

Dusky brown to almost piceous, with head and thoraxhairy; the wing-covers and legs sometimes paler. On thehead are four black longitudinal stripes, which are only