and Laboratory Methods. 



2001 



degree into the bark. Having thus inserted the sucking apparatus, the cicada 

 drinks its fill or until disturbed, and its source of supply is so abundant that 

 when the beak is withdrawn more or less liquid follows the withdrawal of the 

 beak, and affords an attraction for sap loving insects as shown in Fig. 3. The 

 insect is so intent upon feeding that with care one can snip off the beak with 

 slender scissors so that almost its full length will remain in the bark, as was 



Fig. 2. — a, Beak of locust clipped off while insect was feeding on bark of apple 

 tree, .x lo. />, Globule of sap. 



done in preparing Fig. '2. This is not so easily done, however, as is the snipping 

 off of the ovipositor in place, which, owing to the depth to which it is inserted 

 in the wood, cannot be withdrawn so readily as is the slender and flexible 

 beak. The insects seem to be sensitive to sudden motion rather than to near 

 or strange objects in themselves, as difficulty in approaching the insects was 

 almost entirely obviated when focusing cloth and other swinging or flapping 

 articles were removed. But even when approached successfully, the feeding 



Fig. 3. 



-Ants feeding upon juices flowing from a puncture in the 

 bark of pear tree made by cicada. 



cicadas were Hkely to move just at the wrong time on account of the movements 

 of the camera body, which had the lens about 15 inches from the object in order 

 to secure a slight magnification with extended bellows. In Fig. 2 the beak is 

 shown raised a little from the bark, setas show both above and below the beak. 

 When cut, a globule of sap nearly as large as the pin head, shown at " b," formed 

 on the cut end " a," but before it could be photographed the globule disappeared 

 either by evaporation or by suction back into the wood. 

 Maryland Agri. Coll. and Exp. Station. FREDERICK H. BloDGETT. 



