86 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



fungus. Mr H. D. Lewis of Annandale recorded many dead and 

 dying insects, some infected with fungus June 16th. 



The local presence of the disease was also reported by Mr S. S. 

 Simmons. "West Taghkanic ; Eugene Smith, Middletown; C. B. 

 Coleman, Goshen; Fred M. Askens, Schaghticoke ; Sylvester 

 Bulson, Stony Point and C. W. Hyatt, Peekskill. 



Adverse weather conditions are undoubtedly responsible for 

 the untimely death of many insects. Miss Annis E. Thomson 

 states that on June loth, nth and 12th there were three terrific 

 thunder and lightning storms which killed every Cicada. Not 

 one was seen alive after June 12th. Between the storms, the 

 birds feasted on the insects and the children picked the wings from 

 the multitude of dead bodies in the roadways. 



Injuries. The reports of injuries as a result of a Cicada'vis'ta- 

 tion usually characterized the damage as very severe, and in 

 localities where the insects are exceptionally numerous, many 

 of the young twigs, in some instances most, may be killed by 

 the numerous oviposition scars. This looks badly in midsummer 

 and gives a very unfavorable impression, whereas in reality the 

 damage is confined largely to the small limbs, and in the case 

 of good sized trees amounts to but little more than a somewhat 

 general heading back. Some correspondents state that affected 

 trees look as though they had been swept by fire. In certain 

 cases fruiting trees had the limbs so badly injured that they 

 broke with the weight of the young apples. The proportionate 

 injury to young trees is undoubtedly much greater than in the 

 case of large ones, and in certain instances may result in the 

 ruin, if not death- of individual trees. 



The Cicada is relatively local in its habits, and as a conse- 

 quence the injury is rarely widespread and mostly confined to 

 comparatively low value forest trees. This disinclination of the 

 Cicada to fly is well illustrated by conditions obtaining on the 

 farm of Mr II. D. Lewis at Annandale. There were a number 

 of trees in one orchard very badly infested with the insects while 

 within fifty feet there were many others practically free from 

 Cicadas. Mr Lewis reports one case where two rows of a young 

 orchard near a woodland were severely affected, while other 

 parts were practically free from damage. Mr R. G. Doxey, 

 Mountainville, records the killing of newly set fruit trees. 



Preventives of injury. The major portion of the visible in- 

 jury at least is caused by the female as she makes slits in the 

 twigs with her sawlike ovipositor for the reception of eggs. It 



