Principal household insects of the United States . to the in-sect, however, it must beheard, and what seems tobe the insect ear is foundin curious organs on thefore tibial, represented inthe illustration (fig. 21, The house cricket usu-ally occurs on the groundfloor of dwellings, andevinces its liking for warmth by often occurring in the vicinity offireplaces, concealing itself between the bricks of chimneys or behindbaseboards, frequently burrowing into the mortar of walls. It is par-ticularly apt to abound in bakehouses. It is rarely very abundant,but at times multiplies excessively and beco
Principal household insects of the United States . to the in-sect, however, it must beheard, and what seems tobe the insect ear is foundin curious organs on thefore tibial, represented inthe illustration (fig. 21, The house cricket usu-ally occurs on the groundfloor of dwellings, andevinces its liking for warmth by often occurring in the vicinity offireplaces, concealing itself between the bricks of chimneys or behindbaseboards, frequently burrowing into the mortar of walls. It is par-ticularly apt to abound in bakehouses. It is rarely very abundant,but at times multiplies excessively and becomes a very serious cold weather, or in cold rooms in winter, it remains torpid, butunder the influence of warmth it becomes active and musical. It iseasily kept in captivity as a pet, and will reward the possessor byfurnishing an abundance of its peculiar melody, and in Spain it is oftenkept, it is reported, in cages, as Ave do singing birds. It is in the mainnocturnal in its habits, coining out in the dusk of evening and roaming. FlO. 21.—Gryllus assimilis: a, female; b, male; c, d, fore tibia},inner and outer views showing drums of ear; e and /, drumsor tympana—enlarged (original). HOUSE FLIES, CENTIPEDES, AND OTHEIt INSECTS. 55 about the house for whatever food materials it may discover. It feedsreadily on bread crumbs or almost any food product to which it canget access, and is particularly attracted to liquids, in its eagerness toget at which it often meets death by drowning. It is a very pugnaciousinsect and will bite vigorously if captured, and is also predaceous orcarnivorous, like most of its outdoor allies. It is supposed to feed onvarious other house insects, such as the cockroach and is also probablycannibalistic. A pair of a native species kept in a cage by the writer,for a short period manifested the greatest friendliness, but the maleshortly afterwards made a very substantial meal of his companion. The crickets, in common with most other Ortho
Size: 1372px × 1820px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherwashi, bookyear1896
