pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on sat 13 jan 07
and...'Wings'...!
Hi Ivor,
This agrees with my experience of them...yes...
The 'large' variety here especially can run
'swiftly' if freightened or startled ( of the four
kinds I know of here, the medium size one of which
is indigenus to the Southern Mojave and light
brown compared to the darker "Chestnut Brown" of
the large Species ones, and the "Root Beer" brown
of the medium size 'Mack Truck' like 'German'
Species so called ) , but the 'large' ones here
attain lengths of about three inches thereabouts,
and while posessing true, large, long and viable
Wings, seldom use them, even when they should!
They will starve to death in an Emanelled Bucket,
or other things too slick to crawl out of, where,
were they to recall they posessed Wings, they
could simply fly up and out...
I would not let them do this intentionally of
course, die-in-a-bucket, but it has happenned a
few times on accident when I did not notice they
were in there. Since then, I keep the ( old,
White, Baked Enammel stamped Steel ) Bucket on its
side instead, and no more perils for these fellows
on that score anyway.
Some seem to fly sometimes for amusement, some for
perhaps expiating an excitement, maybe for
courtship prospects, but it is 'seldom', at any
rate...though I think they fly more often in the
Spring, whether they get anywhere or not, possibly
as some vague interest to find new and distal
'pastures' or acquaintances or climes, where
walking would be too tedious or dangerous or
boreing or something.
They are pretty much placid Creatures, dreamily
grazing and forraging and climbing and so on,
almost Bovine really in their way...sometimes
having more keen or vivd interests or moods of
social energy. They are very friendly so long as
one does not have ones shadow cross them, which
they regard as portending some danger of
predation, and so long as one moves slowly and is
gentle. They are glad to climb on a finger and
just stay there and day dream, or preen and sort
of hang out, and will even resist being set down
once one needs to get back to Work or something,
since they are enjoying the novelty of the perch.
I had a flying Cricket some weeks ago.
I have many Crickets here...all the same species.
Light colored, apterygial, an inch long at most
when mature ( and tiny, TINY when infants or
whatever one would call the very young of them,
less than one-eighth of an inch long, ) but some
few DO posess Wings appearently, and in seeing
thousands of them over the years, closely looking
at them in countless occasions, I never saw any
with Wings before, or at least never noticed IF
any posessed them, and certainly never once saw
one fly.
Then, one day, recently, one flew across the Shop
and landed on my Sweater, on my chest, as if JUST
to show off..!
I thought, "Oh! what a happy Cricket..!" and in a
moment, he flew on to some other area in there,
then...a moment later, it dawned on me, that I had
never before SEEN one fly...
So, I went over to where he was, extended my hand,
or my big grimey work stained finger rather, and
made some true and real compliments to him and how
nice his long Antennii were, how nice his
marvelous Wings were, and whatever else, and he
crept onto my finger where I brought my hand up
and was able to see him closely and
well...and...little perfect close to his body of
folded WINGS! Then he took off and flew some
more...and I lost track of him.
Wow!
Yet, he was identical in every way else, to all
the others...his Wings had a somewhat darker
pattern of light and medium light grey-tan sort of
color, and were rather smallish, folded neatly,
perfectly of course, but worked well to fly
with..!
He was happy, too...you could tell, he was one
Happy Cricket. Even though they always seem happy,
he was especially happy...he had WINGS..!
And he knew how to use them.
Anyway...
Phil
Las Vegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ivor and Olive Lewis"
Dear Phil,
Quote from Vines and Rees, "Plant and Animal
Biology" (1968). "....Cockroaches run very
swiftly, but seldom fly..." Vol 1, P 680.
Happy New Year to you,
Best regards,
Ivor.
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