Crickets and Katydids, Concerts and Solos

by Vincent G. Dethier

From Mount Washington to the salt marshes of Cape Cod, a chorus of insects chirrups and peeps and rustles away the golden hours of summer and fall. In Crickets and Katydids, Vincent G. Dethier invites us to share in the pleasure offered by these tiny musicians in our midst. A companion volume to G. W. Pierce's 1948 classic Songs of Insects this book introduces amateur naturalism and lovers of nature to some of the more common singing crickets, locusts, and grasshoppers of the northeastern United States. Dethier emphasizes the "world" of these insects and their place in it. He presents us with a captivating glimpse of the ecology of the singing Orthoptera, the conditions under which they are studied, and the people who have studied them. For those who wish to delve more deeply into the classification, structure, and habits of particular species, Dethier includes keys for identification of insects and their songs, as well as a table of seasonal distribution. His graceful text is adorned with fine drawings of insects by Abigail Rorer. Though always softly with us, the insect's timeless song is only vaguely known and little understood. Bringing a natural historian's appreciation to this mysterious facet of nature, Crickets and Katydids, Concerts and Solos will be a source of instruction and delight, an enhancement of the pleasure and fascination afforded by the natural world in miniature.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Vincent Gaston Dethier was an American physiologist and entomologist. Considered a leading an expert in his field, he was a pioneer in the study of insect-plant interactions and wrote over 170 academic papers and 15 science books. From 1975 until his death, he was the Gilbert L. Woodside Professor of Zoology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he was the founding director of its Neuroscience and Behavior Program and chaired the Chancellor's Commission on Civility. Dethier also wrote natural history books for non-specialists, as well as short stories, essays and children's books.

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Vincent Dethier, was a former professor in the entomology department at UMASS Amherst where I was pursuing my MS back in the 90's and was always a presence at our weekly seminars. A very venerable, cheerful, and pleasant figure, he was something of an idol to all of us. I finally tracked down his book after I had graduated and he had passed away. Being an fellow entomologist, I greatly enjoyed his descriptions of the various Orthoptera he encountered on his early ventures and could readily identify with his fascination of the creatures that sing throughout the warm months of the year. Those with a strong dislike for anything insect or who find their various songs nothing short of annoying on a summers evening will want to avoid this treatise.

[Po Wah Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I specially ordered this book 20 years ago at university. I read it often and whenever I pick it up it evokes a world of summer song and its passing. I especially like the illustrations. Cape Cod is probably my favourite picture, a feeling of great comfort different from a photo. This is a unique book, so good because he describes his time of hunting orthoptera, which was something we did when I lived in the far east as a child. We then sold the grasshoppers to bird men who in turn traded them to song bird keepers for a very high price. In other words, you could make a better living catching grasshoppers than farming. This is an unforgettable book!