The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-15

than their bodies, and by long opiposi-
tors, curved upward. Three groups of
them are well known in the west
The shield backs are the only long
horns that are especially harmful
They include the black crickets of MO
neer days These were a serious men
ace 10 the crops of the first settlers, but
were destroyed by the gulls. This spe-
cles is variouSly known as the Idaho
cricket, the Mormon cricket. the Colo
RADIO cricket, etc. It is over an inch
long IT does not fly. but hops in search
OF food- the rear rows regularly jump
ing over the heads of the first ranks.
1hey have occurred in vast swarms,
and are still to be found in the western
parts of the state. Their abortive wings
resemble shields, whence the name of
the group.
Meadow grasshoppers are small, slen-
DER, and mostly harmless. They occur
In swamps and meadows, laying their
eggs in the stems of rushes and other
aquatic plants.
Our Most Hideous Ally.
The large, red. yellow and black sand
crickets are grasshoppers rather than
crlckets- They can only creep, and de-
spite their formidable appearance, they
are well-nigh harmless. They are often
and most mistakenly called, scorpions,
but they have no poison Their strong
and sharp jaws. however might pierce
the skin OF ones hand. The large, mas
slve head contains the muscles neces-
sary to work these jaws. These orthop-
terra feed on other insects and on this
account are no doubt beneficial.
The True Crickets.
3. The last of the three divisions of
the jumping orthoptera is the family
of crickets They comprise three groups
the true crickets, the tree crickets,
and the mole crickets. They are all
distinguished from grasshoppers by
their wings, which lie fat on their
backs, while those of grasshoppers form
sort of roof
True cricel1ts live on heritage. and
usually keep close to the ground. They
do little damage, living in burrows,
into which they carry blades of grass.
The eggs are laid in autumn and are
matched the following summer.
The Tree Crickets.
The tree crickets include the only
musical species we have; since the
cricket of the hearth, with its cheerful
tune. has not been reported here Our
tree crickets sing in the daytime from
the trees or grass, but do not come into
the house. AS whole. they are bene-
ncial, since they feed when young on
the aphids, or plant lice. but often do
serious damage to raspberry canes by
laying their eggs III long rows within
the stalks in such ways as to weaken
and destroy the bushes. The shining
eggs are readily found in the canes of
the raspberry. They are revealed by a
number of punctures and lie in parallel
line up and down the stalk They are
oblons, yellow and white-tipped
The Mole crickets.
The mole cI1ckets live under ground.
and feed upon the roots of plants. Their
foreless are adapted TO burrowinp.
Much interest among children may be
aroused by repeatedly bringing one of
THESE beetles to the surface and watch
ing 1t dig rapidly back into the ground.
This cricket, il is said, is also musical
and fddles away underground a time
dolefui enough to our ears, but a tune !
mat serves, no doubt to cheer his |
mate The music is due to the rubbing /
OF the upper wings upon the hind |
wings, the membrane being veined in /
such way as to produce sound
A Real Degenerate.
The bedbug belongs to the order /
aemiptera, which includes the true |
Jugs OF piercing insects, characterized |
oy possessing piercing and sucking /
oeak- The bedbug is to man what the 1
cninch bug is to grains or the SQUASH /
Dug to cucurbs- Like nearly all the |
Insects parasitic on animals, however. Il
Is degraded structuraily, its parasitic II
nature and the slight necessity for ex- II
e.isive locomotion having resulted. aft Il
II many ages doubtless. in the loss ~
wings and the assumption OF COM i