100 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



irian, with green-bordered wings, (Cicada Tibicen, 

 Tab. IV. Fig. 18), are the most conspicuous species of 

 North America. But the natural history of all the 

 different species is the same. All have an inflected 

 snout, very short setaceous antenna?, four membra- 

 naceous wings, and six feet. The females have a long, 

 horny ovipositor, and only the males possess the sing- 

 ing organ, which is an extended, moveable membrane 

 on the under side of the abdomen, by the rapid 

 vibration of which they produce their peculiarly loud 

 and shrill sound. The females are all dumb. Virgil 

 says; — * 



-raucis 



Sole sub ardenti resonant arbusta Cicadis." 

 Or, in English rhyme — 



" While the scorching sun beats down upon the plain, 

 The bushes echo with the hoarse Cicada's strain." 



But Anacreon praises them, and in one of his odes 

 compares them with the gods. William Spence, in 

 his " Introduction to Entomology," thus translates the 

 satirical words of the ancient Greek philosopher, 

 Anaxacoras — 



"tr 



" Happy the Cicadas' lives, 

 Since they all have voiceless wives." 



But a German writer, who was probably an old 

 bachelor, in order to show that females of the human 



