INSECTS
males that were kept in a cage together with several females gave each other little peace. Whenever one began to play his fiddle the other started up, to the plain disgust of the first one, and either was always greatly annoyed and provoked to anger if any of the females happened to run into him while he was playing. If one male was fiddling alone and the other approached him, the first dashed at the intruder with jaws open, increasing the speed of his strokes at the same time till the notes became almost a shrill whistle. The other male usually retaliated by playing, too, in an apparent attempt to outfiddle the first. The chirps from both sides now came quicker and quicker, their pitch mounting higher and higher, till each player reached his limit. Then both would stop and begin over again. Neither male ever inflicted any actual damage on his rival, and in spite of their savage threats neither was ever seen really to grasp any part of the other with his jaws. Either would dash madly at a female that happened to disturb him while fiddling, but neither was ever seen to threaten a female with open jaws.
The weather has much influence on the spirits of the males; their chirps are always loudest and their rivalry keenest when it is bright and warm. Setting their cage in the sun on cold days always started the two males at once to singing. Out of doors, though the crickets sing in all weather and at all hours, variations of their notes in tone and strength according to the temperature are very noticeable. This is not owing to any effect of humidity on their instruments, for the two belligerent males kept in the house never had the temper on cold and gloomy days that characterized their actions and their song on days that were warm and bright. This, in connection with the fact that their music is usually aimed at each other in a spirit clearly suggestive of vindictiveness and anger, is all good evidence that Grvllus sings to express himself and not to "charm the females." In fact, it is often hard to feel certain whether he is singing or swearing. If we could understand the
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