PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 24, NO. 7-8, OCT.-NOV., 1922 197 



It seems obvious that Lowell himself would have been the 

 last to contend that most of the rhymes included in the "Bige- 

 low Papers" were poetry; especially those signed "Birdofredum 

 Sawin" describing some experiences of an American soldier in 

 the Mexican war: 



"You never see sech darned gret bugs (it 

 may not be irrelevant 

 To say I've seen a Scarabaeus pilularius 

 big ez a year old elephant). 

 The ridgiment come up one day in time 

 to stop a red-bug 



From runnin' off with Cunnle Wright, 

 't wuz jest a common Cimex lectularius. " 



Longfellow apparently had the water-striders in mind, when 

 in Hiawatha he says: 



"Insects glistened in the sunshine, 

 Insects skated on the water." 



as no other aquatic insects can be said to "skate" on the water, 

 although the Gyrinidae of the Coleoptera may almost justify 

 the term. 



One would also expect the Cicadae of the Homoptera to have 

 received abundant attention by the British poets because of the 

 vociferous qualities of their songs, but this is not the case. As 

 noted elsewhere, the grasshopper has received the lion's share 

 of praise in this respect. The few references to the Cicadae in 

 British poetry occur chiefly under the Italian name of cicala or 

 cicale. The reason for this becomes plainly evident when we 

 learn that the cicada is an uncommon insect in Britain, being 

 represented by a single species, which is said to be a "great 

 rarity." 1 Our American bards, on the other hand, have been 

 more attentive to these songsters which are so abundant both 

 in species and numbers throughout the length and breadth of the 

 land. It is not always easy, because of the confusion existing in 

 the popular mind regarding the use of the word "locust," to 

 determine whether an American poet refers to a grasshopper or 

 a cicada. The following, however, dedicated to the "locust," 

 without question really refers to the cicada. 



"Sitting with ripeness 'neath the orchard-tree 

 Trying repeatedly the same shrill phrase. " 



Cawein. 



'Harold Bastin, British Insects and How to Know Them: "Of these, the 

 Cicadas, so numerous in tropical countries, are represented in Britain by a single 

 species. As a nymph, it is said to feed at the roots of bracken. The adult is 

 occasionally captured in the New Forest and elsewhere; but it is a great rarity." 



