124 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



NOTES ON THE PERIODICAL CICADA IN THE DISTRICT OF 

 COLUMBIA IN 1902. 



By C. L. MARLATT. 



The holes of the periodical cicada began to be brought to the 

 surface in numbers by the first of April, and the area under trees 

 in the grounds of the Department of Agriculture, and of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, was quite thickly studded with holes 

 during the first week in April. The adults, however, did not 

 begin to emerge until the second week of May, a few stragglers 

 appearing at first, but from the loth onward emergence became 

 rather general. Within the city very few of the cicadas which 

 came out survived more than a few hours, being quickly snap 

 ped up and destroyed by the English Sparrow. The numbers 

 within the city were greatly diminished by the English Sparrow 

 at the appearance 17 years ago, the destruction by this bird at 

 that time having been noted by Prof. Riley and others to be very 

 considerable. The sparrows' work this year, however, was 

 much more effective, the cicadas being fewer in numbers ; and I 

 doubt whether a single individual, certainly very few, ever 

 reached the egg laying period. For two or three days in the 

 midst of the trees on the Museum grounds a few song notes were 

 heard, but ceased very soon. In the woods in the country about the 

 city, especially out toward Chevy Chase, the cicada appeared in 

 very considerable numbers, and here did not suffer very much from 

 the attacks of birds, and for the most part went through the normal 

 aerial existence successfully. The emergence was a prolonged one, 

 and instead of being fairly complete in a few nights, as has some 

 times been described, new cicadas were coming out in consider 

 able numbers three or even four weeks after the first appearance. 

 This was especially noticeable on the grounds of the Chevy 

 Chase Club, where the insect appeared in perhaps greater num 

 bers than at any other point observed. 



Another thing noted by many observers in the District, and 

 also frequently by the writer, was that very many of the cicadas 

 failed to free themselves from their pupal shells, and either died 

 in the shells or went about for a day or two with the shell cling 

 ing to the abdomen, preventing the wings from expanding. The 

 reason of the extraordinary number of failures to transform suc 

 cessfully does not readily suggest itself. It is possible that the 

 very cold and late spring may have had something to do with it. 



Egg-laying began about June first, and continued with con 

 siderable activity until the middle of June, and by scattering 

 individuals even later. The egg-laying in the woods about Wash 

 ington, especially on the higher grounds, was of sufficient amount 



