OF WASHINGTON. 125 



to kill the terminal branches of the trees, in some cases almost 

 all the branches dying, and many branches were broken off by 

 the winds. They seemed to have a preference for small trees, 

 and on young oaks and hickories the outer limbs were almost all 

 killed back. This preference for small trees is probably due to 

 their flying low, or perhaps liking to get out into the sun, but it 

 possibly may have as a basis an instinct which leads them to select 

 a tree just starting in life a's one which gives greater assurance of 

 supplying the offspring with permanent subsistence. Trees 

 bordering densely- wooded tracts were more oviposited in than in 

 the interior of the woods. 



During the first week or ten days of the emergence of the 

 cicada, a very large percentage of the small variety cassinii were 

 observed. These, however, according to my observations in the 

 District, did not remain long in evidence, but soon disappeared. 

 They occurred in about equal proportion of both sexes, and 

 mated. 



The different song notes of the cicada were more noticeable 

 with this brood than has been my experience before in two other 

 occurrences which I have witnessed. In other words, the three 

 notes described by writers on the subject were all of them repre 

 sented, and the two notes which are usually less common were 

 perhaps in greater evidence than the common note made by this 

 insect. In the case of another large brood witnessed by me, only 

 the one note could be distinguished, viz, the song represented by the 

 letters ts-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ow, with the sound dyingaway. This 

 year the broken and chipping notes were very shrill and loud, and 

 very much in evidence, the chipping note being the characteristic 

 one of the small variety. 



Nowhere outdoors in the District were any evidences of the 

 making of cicada cones reported. Mr. Wm. Tindall, living on 

 Washington Heights, at the northwest section of the city, dis 

 covered some of these curious structures in his woodshed, and 

 an investigation of the premises developed the fact that this 

 woodshed was studded with cicada cones of perfect construc 

 tion, varying from an inch to six inches in height. Evidently a 

 tree had stood about where the woodshed was built, and the 

 cicadas had undergone their development successfully in the 

 ground beneath. All of those coming to the surface outside of 

 the shed escaped through simple holes without any structures 

 above ground; but every individual which came up within the 

 shed built a turret or cone. The ground floor of the shed was 

 somewhat moist, rain running under, but it w r as rather dryer 

 than the ground outside, so that the cones could not have been 

 built on account of the moisture. The only explanation which 

 seems to offer for these cones is that the pupae coming up in the 

 rather dark, poorly-lighted shed attempted to carry their holes 



