The Cicada: the Eggs 



ment downwards into the twig, in a longi- 

 tudinal direction. 



If the stalk be smooth and even and also 

 of a suitable length, the punctures are nearly- 

 equidistant and are not far from being in 

 a straight line. Their number varies: it is 

 small when the mother is disturbed in her 

 operation and goes off to continue her laying 

 elsewhere; it amounts to thirty or forty 

 when the line of dots represents the total 

 amount of eggs laid. The actual length of 

 the row for the same number of thrusts like- 

 wise varies. A few examples will enlighten 

 us in this respect: a row of thirty measures 

 28 centimetres ^ on the toad-flax, 30 ^ on the 

 gum-succory and only 12 ^ on the asphodel. 



Do not imagine that these variations in 

 length have to do with the nature of the 

 support: there are plenty of instances that 

 prove the contrary; and the asphodel, which 

 in one case shows us the punctures that are 

 closest together, will in other cases show us 

 those which are farthest removed. The di- 

 stance between the dots depends on cir- 

 cumstances which cannot be explained, but 



* 10.9 inches. — Translator's Note. 

 ' 1 1.7 inches. — Translator's Note. 



* 4.6 inches. — Translator's Note. 



85 



