_Family 4, Achetidæ._--The most familiar British insect belonging to this family is the common House Cricket (_Acheta domestica_). Living, as it does, in the immediate vicinity of the fire, it seems to be totally independent of the changes of the seasons, and may usually be found of all ages at all periods of the year. Crickets are particularly abundant in bakehouses, being extremely partial to warmth. The chirping noise which they produce at night-time is sometimes almost deafening, and it is really surprising from what a very long distance the sound may be heard. Their food consists of bread crumbs and scraps of meat and vegetables which have been allowed to accumulate during the daytime. The best way, therefore, to get rid of the insects is to take proper care in clearing away all the refuse after meals, for if this were not there the crickets could not subsist, and would soon quit the house. They are, however, generally objected to only by weak-nerved people, and do very little harm, if any whatever. It is a question whether they are not very useful in acting as scavengers. [Illustration: Fig. 70.--Hetrodes Pupa.] [Illustration: Fig. 71.--Gryllotalpa Vulgaris.] A nearly allied British species is the Field Cricket (_Acheta campestris_), which is rather larger than the house cricket. It is comparatively rare and local in this country, but abounds everywhere on the Continent. A third British species is the Wood Cricket (_Nemolicus sylvestris_), which is considerably rarer than either of the preceding. It is found abundantly among dead leaves in woods in France and other parts of the Continent, but is very rarely found in England. The Mole Cricket (_Gryllotalpa vulgaris_) is perhaps the most interesting member of the family. It is a large, robust insect, about an inch and a half in length and of a very dark brown colour. It is remarkable for the peculiar shape of its front legs, which exactly resemble those of the mole. It burrows in loose soil, and, like the mole, it passes along close beneath the surface of the ground, and often raises a small ridge as it advances. It frequents gardens, especially near the banks of canals, and is also fond of damp meadows and other localities in the vicinity of water. The eggs to the number of 200 or 300, are deposited in a chamber of considerable dimensions, and enclosed in a sort of cocoon-like envelope. The _larvæ_ when first hatched are white, and are said to be three years in arriving at a state of maturity. The mole cricket is found chiefly in the south of England. [Illustration: Fig. 72.--Œcanthus Pellucens.] _Family 5, Gryllidæ._--The most conspicuous insect belonging to this family in Britain is known as the great Green Grasshopper (_Phasgonura viridissima_), which measures nearly four inches in expanse of the wing, and is therefore nearly as large as the migratory locust which sometimes visits us.