208 CHARLES W. HARGITT. 



ular function of this body. For example, Marshal regarded it as 

 a urinary organ; Graber regarded the entire system of the fat 

 bodies as a simple many-lobed lung; a view likewise taken by 

 Landois; but Schaffer took the view, now generally held, that it 

 is a reservoir of nutrition from which the organism may draw 

 during times of special stress or emergency. The case of the 

 cicada is peculiar; for its whole larval and pupal existence com- 

 prises from thirteen to seventeen years of underground life de- 

 voted especially to feeding and growth. These finally culminate 

 in the crisis of reproduction which lasts only two or three brief 

 weeks. But during these weeks, feeding is almost wholly lacking 

 as has already been previously shown. When first emerging into 

 adulthood the body of this insect is literally gorged with storage 

 fat and related reserves. But these rapidly decrease with growth 

 and development of the reproductive cells, and with the matura- 

 tion and discharge of these cells, this reserve supply becomes 

 rapidly exhausted, especially in the male, and the female com- 

 pletes its exhaustion in the arduous task involved in puncturing 

 branches and twigs for receptacles in which the eggs are labori- 

 ously deposited. These functions completed, the vigor of the 

 insects rapidly declines, since the storage being exhausted and 

 taking no new supplies, they rapidly decline and die. As an 

 interesting incident bearing upon the matter, may be stated the 

 fact that in the use of these insects as an article of food, which 

 is common among American Indians, they are taken exclusively 

 at the time the insect emerges in its mature form, or at least, 

 very soon after, for at this time this storage matter is at its best 

 and later, of course, rapidly deteriorates. At this period, also, 

 the insects are preyed upon by hogs, fowls, and such birds as 

 feed upon them, since only at this time are the insects easily 

 available. For birds, they can be taken during the entire life 

 period of a few weeks, but naturally, are most sought in early 

 life when they are more easily captured. 



There are many analogous features between the physiology of 

 fat storage as shown in the foregoing citations from Greene's 

 experiments' and what probably takes place during the life cycle 

 of these insects, some before mentioned. Among others the 

 following are of interest. 



I. The relatively long and probably more or less continuous 



