68 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



from his knees in saying '^E gira nemend'^ — Notwithstand- 

 ing this, it revolves ! 



Another very general and very popular notion with re- 

 gard to the Cicada is, that it -is the same species, or at least 

 the same genus, with that noxious insect mentioned in the 

 Scriptures as one of the plagues of Egypt. This also is en- 

 tirely incorrect. 



Eleven different names of injurious insects occur in the 

 Old Testament, called in the Hebrew Arhe, Goh, Gobai, 

 Gazam, Shagah, Chanamel, Chasil, Chargol, JeleJc, Solam, 

 and Pselatsal. 



Now in our English Bibles we find these words almost 

 universally translated Locust, notwithstanding we have 

 good reason to believe that almost all these insects men- 

 tioned are, according to their external and internal con- 

 struction, very far from being of the same nature with our 

 Cicada, but rather belong to the Grasshoppers {Sauterelle, 

 Heupferd). In the book of Deuteronomy, 28th chapter, 38th 

 verse, we read, "Thou shalt carry much seed out into the 

 fields, and shalt gather but little in, for the Locust shall 

 consume it;" and in verse 42d, ''All thy trees and the 

 fruit of thy land shall the Locust consume." Now we can 

 not understand how it is possible that the Cicada, which 

 with its proboscis sucks only the dew of leaves as its nour- 

 ishment, and has no mouth with which it can masticate any 

 thing, could occasion such immense ravages. But if we 

 translate the Hebrew text, as Martin Luther did, with 

 ^^ HeiqjfercV or ^'' HeuschrecM^ in German, and with '■^ Sau- 

 terelW in French, which is " Grasshopper" in English, des- 

 ignating a very voracious insect, provided with two power- 

 ful jaws, and an animal very common in Africa, Asia, and 

 the East of Europe, as well as in some of our Western 

 States and Territories, we readily perceive how it is possi- 

 ble for such a creature to occasion famine and pestilence. 



This error in the translation, originating from ignorance 



