It must be admitted, indeed, that a very intimate connection exists between them, and it is only by attending to peculiarities which do not greatly influence the general appearance, that the distinction can be manifested. The Gryllidæ have very long antennæ, 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 resemblance the shape of this instrument bears to a sabre or cutlass, has led some Continental writers to name these insects Sauterelles à sabre. The head is perpendicular 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 deviation from their natural habits. They frequent meadows, pasture lands, and rocky declivities exposed to the sun, intimating their presence by an incessant chirping, and by leaping among the feet of the passenger. Very few of them inhabit this country, and such as we possess are, with one exception, of insignificant dimensions, contrasted with those of many foreign lands. Many finely coloured species are found
