Question: It’s a household pet. You keep it in a cage. And it sings. What is it? Answer: It’s a cricket.
JIMINY!
People in China and Japan have been raising an unsual kind of pet for more than 2,000 years—crickets. In Japan, people used to go to special clubs where they could sit and listen to the sound of crickets singing. Crickets in tiny bamboo cages were used as background music at garden parties. Some emperors in China had cages of ivory, jade, and gold for their crickets. And they even hired professional cricket caretakers.
VIOLIN CONCERTO
Only male crickets chirp. But how? They rub their wings together. The bottom of one wing has a sharp edge and is called the scraper. They rub it along the ridged edge, or the file, of the other wing and play it like a violin. Why do they do this? To attract females and to scare off other males.
PET PEEVES
Once they’re comfortable, crickets will sing all day (and night) long. Is that a good thing? Well, it can get pretty loud in a bedroom. But if you decide to raise them, you’ll need to keep them in a cool, shady spot. They don’t eat much, just a piece of potato, apple, or lettuce every day.
Is it a secret? The dime is the only U.S. coin that doesn’t say how many cents it is worth.
Bonus: If a stranger enters the house, your cricket will stop singing, which makes him a great watchdog. You can also tell what the temperature (Fahrenheit) is by the sound of your cricket. Just count the number of chirps during 15 seconds and add 40 to the number! (Or look at the thermometer.)
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CRUNCHY CRITTERS
Uncle John found this disgusting (yet delightfully crunchy) recipe for all you cricket lovers.
Crispy Cricket Cookies
•2-1/4 cup flour
•1 12-oz. bag chocolate chips
•1 tsp baking soda
•1 tsp salt
•1 cup butter
•3/4 cup sugar
•3/4 cup brown sugar
•1 tsp. vanilla
•3 egg whites
•1/2 cup dry-roasted crickets
•1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 375 F. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until creamy. Then beat in egg whites. Gradually add flour mixture and crickets. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop rounded glops of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool cookies and let the cricket-crunching begin. Enjoy your crunchy critters with a cold glass of milk. Bon appétit!
There have been 37 different animal shapes in Animal Crackers since their invention in 1902. Current shapes include bears, gorillas, monkeys, seals, and giraffes.