Oethopteea.

Oethoptbea.

CHAPTER I.

The word Orthopteea signifies Straight-wings, and is given to t IS order of insects because their wings are not capable of being folded crosswise, as is the case with the Beetles and Earwigs The elytra are soft, leathery, strongly veined, and cioss each other at their tips, and the true wings are gathered under them in longitudinal folds, like those of a fan, the tips fiequently projecting from under the elytra. The larvae and pupae resemble the perfect insect in shape, but do not possess the°1arvf ^ ^0 quiescent stage, but is as active as differing essentially from the the Beetler

Beetles. In consequence of the soft texture of the wino-that the name ‘ tegf > rmna he substituted for ‘elytra.’ I cannot, however, admit the wordTlySaf”

This Older of insects is tolerably well represented in fEia reaSetarr n ^ aCther 0^^ ‘hem Orthoptera may be classed under the general Kenfral tirm, terms of Cockroaches, Grasshoppers, and Cricketswhile in other countries we find the strange ‘Walking-stick’ insects. Soothsayers, and Leaf-insects. A few exampfes serve to illustrate will the British Orthoptera. FiTZTZT etamT'^Th” '^hich the Cockroach is

familiar I such as the SlanH. ' Eaptoria, or snatchers,

legThevekned g eveloped Lro -T“® ‘he flrst pai into instruments of prehension. The tWrd

section is the Ambulatoria, or walkers, such as the Walkingstick insects j and. the last section is the Saltatoria, or junipers, such as the Grasshoppers and their kin.

The first section is represented in England by one genus only namely, Blatta — and, considering the nature of the Orthoptera, we may he glad that they have no more cursorial in this country. In these insects the body is representatives rather oval and flat, the thorax is very large and shield-shaped, being almost concealed under it, and the antennse are the head

long and thread-like. The males are fully winged, while very both wings and elytra are much smaller than in in the females the male, and in some species are altogether absent. There species of Cockroach in this country, some of which are several

indigenous, while others have evidently been imported. are

Such is the case with the Domestic Cockroach (Blatta which has completely taken possession of England. orientalis), As far as is known it was originally imported from the Levant,

at first was confined to seaport towns. The climate, and suited it, and so did the prevalence of kitchen fires, however, to smoulder through the greater portion of the which are allowed the requisite supply of warmth. As for night, thus affording is as necessary to the insects as warmth, the moisture, which boiler are generally sufficient for the drippings of the kitchen this may be, the insects have spread thempurpose. However selves over England in a manner which is really wonderful, female is wingless, and must therefore be considering that the of locomotion than her own limbs transported by other means can supply. ^ . , spread over London is easy to

That the Cockroach should is a seaport town, and the insect could understand. London firmly enough by the water-side, and therefore establish itself to different parts of the metropolis, a afterwards make its way assisted by the laundress and her task in which it is greatly the laundress is one of the Innocently and ignorantly basket. dispersion of the Cockroach. H agents in the

principal fire and water, is a very paradise

Lshhouse, with its perpetual multiplies therein exceedingly,

for the Cockroach, which day, according to the won itself hidden during the

keeping laundress, having made up

of these light-hating insects. The well-earned rest , an of linen, goes off to her

her basket

soon as the light is removed out come the Cockroaches in

shoals, and hold revel all night in the warmth and wet of the room. In the morning they mostly retire to their hidingplaces, hut, if suddenly disturbed, scurry off to any place which can conceal them, and find the linen-baskets very convenient for the purpose. Hidden in the baskets, they are carried off to the various houses, where they escape and soon produce fresh colonies.

Still, though the Cockroach can be carried about London by the laundress, it cannot reach the interior of England by such means, and is in all probability imported in hampers, paper parcels, and boxes, having crept into them while the goods were waiting in the London offices.

Like many other insects, the Cockroach has a habit of discharging from its mouth a dark-coloured fluid which possesses a most abominable smell. This odour, indeed, is one of the principal reasons why the Cockroach is so universally detested, for every place which the insects frequent becomes in time impregnated with this nauseous odour, which sometimes is so powerful that it sensibly affects the flavom- of provisions that have been left in larders in which the Cockroaches are specially plentiful. Yet, in spite of this odour, and possibly on account of it, the Cockroach is a favourite food with many animals, almost all insectivorous birds being fond of it, and the hedgehog being so partial to it that one of these animals is sometimes kept in the kitchen for the express purpose of destroying the °

Cockroaches.

I have even heard of a case where human beings have been ree from the usual disbke of these insects. Some thirty years ago two young ladies, sisters, were at school in London, where they had been sent from Jamaica, their native place. After everyone but themselves was asleep they used to get up qmetly, slip down into the kitchen, and there catch and eat tlie Cockroaches. This extraordinary habit was not detected for some time, but at last the mistress found it out, and remonstrated with them. They, however, defended themselves by saying that they had seen her eat shrimps, which fed upon all manner of carrion, whereas the Cockroaches were clean f^ders thTk-f’V^® suffered to lie about in the kitchen. Even after the discovery it was almost im-

possible to keep them from the kitchen at night, so strong was their love for the Cockroaches.

In popular kitchen parlance these insects are called Black- j beetles, though why they should have such a name, not being beetles and their colour being dark brown with a decided tinge of red in it, is not easy to see. I find on enquiry that in some bakehouses the males, which are distinguished by their are called Cockroaches, while the wingless females are wings, termed Black-beetles. As is the case with insects generally, the Cockroach, when it first emerges from its pupal skin, is almost white, the dark colour being attained by slow degrees. to know how long a period was required for the deve- Wishing lopment of the dark hue, I tried the experiment by catching

of these ‘ white Black-beetles,’ as the servants called it, and one it in my room under a glass cover. The dark colour keeping on the third day, but I fancy that a longer was fully developed would be required in the darkling recesses in whieh the period insect loves to pass its life. curious points about the Cockroach is the

One of the most are deposited. The eggs of most inmode in which its eggs of each other, or at the most are attached sects are independent they are deposited, and are either defended to each other after sheltered spot, by animal varnish with by being laid in some are covered, or, in a few instances, by an artificial which they over them by the mother insect. But the covering placed constituted, and are laid eggs of the Cockroach are differently in a hard horny covering, in which all together, enveloped technical name for this eggthey lie like peas in a pod. The which signifies ‘ egg-purse.’ ®ggcase is ootheca, a word . is shown in oodcut X. case of the common Cockroach same egg-case is drawn, but represented^ Fig. e, and at / the in whicli the eggs le si e laid open, so as to show the manner

looks exactly like the kind of tart called ^^TMs 'egg-case the applewhich is generally a ‘turnover;’ and indeedif

popularly ’ were cut into slices, and these slices

enLsed^in the ‘ turnover side by side, a very accurate copy of the

a^d the eggs, and the cr vary in appearance ache made, the apple representing Itself. These egg-cases

would

Z egg-case produced them. cording to the species of the insect which

That of the domestic species is wonderfully large considering the size of the insect, being three-eighths of an inch in length, and nearly half as much in width. It is shaped something like an oblong steel purse, the part which represents the purse itself being well rounded, and that which represents the clasp having a row of very fine notches. When the young are hatched, they escape through this portion of the egg-case, the whole side opening exactly like the clasp of a purse, and, owing to the elasticity of the material of which the case is composed, the opening closes as soon as the young have escaped, and externally the egg-case looks exactly as it did when the eggs were still in it.

If the empty case be cut open a curious sight presents itself. On the outside of the case are eight small rounded projections, set in a row just beneath the opening. When the interior of the case is shown, a double I'ow of eight cells is seen to occupy it, half of the cells lying on either side of the case ; each cell being fined with a stout yellowish membrane, and the end of the cells exactly corresponding with the little projections which have just been mentioned. The mother Cockroach takes a considerable time in depositing this egg-sac, and carries It about with her for several days before she finally places it in the spot where the young are to be hatched.

Another species of Cockroach .is shown on Plate VII Fig. 3. This is the Field Cockroach (Blatta germanica), a much smaller insect than the domestic species.

Its colour is a pale yellow, sometimes taking a reddish hue, an on the large prothorax are two conspicuous longitudinal

ack lines, a peculiarity by which it may at once be recognised. Unlike the domestic Cockroach, which only lives in houses, the leld Cockroach lives in the open air as well as in houses, and in the former case is to be found under decaying leaves and similar situations. There is a slight difference in the colour of the insect, according to its habitation, the paler specimens being those of the open air, and those which live within the reddish hue belonging ° to doors.

Whether or not this species is indigenous is a mooted point ut in all probability the insect has been introduced from the ontinent. Mr. Westwood remarks that he has received it

Diemen’s Land, and has taken it on board vessels which from Van arrived from India. It is also common in Kussia, had just known as the Prussian, because it is where it is popularly the army on their return from thought to have accompanied after the Seven Years’ War. Germany of this species is just a quarter of an inch long

Tlie egg-case

one-eighth of an inch wide, and contains thirty eggs, and that of the domestic species only contains sixteen, whereas eight on each side. escape of the young when hatched was witnessed^ by

The He took an egg-case of the Field Hummel, the naturalist. it into a bottle, and then introduced a feinale Cockroach, put She at once seized the egg-case with her fore-lep Cockroach. to end. Within the case lay the and slit it open from end to each other in pairs, and enveloped in young larv£B attached female stripped from them so membrane, which the a delicate as to set them at liberty.

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