THE CIGALE LEAVES ITS BURROW 25 



Thus the larva works in the midst of a coating of mud, 

 which is the cause of its dirtiness, so astonishing when 

 we see it issue from an excessively dry soil. The perfect 

 insect, although henceforth liberated from the work of 

 a sapper and miner, does not entirely abandon the use 

 of urine as a weapon, employing it as a means of defence. 

 Too closely observed it throws a jet of liquid upon the 

 importunate enemy and flies away. In both its forms 

 the Cigale, in spite of its dry temperament, is a famous 

 irrigator. 



Dropsical as it is, the larva cannot contain sufficient 

 liquid to moisten and convert into easily compressible 

 mud the long column of earth which must be removed 

 from the burrow. The reservoir becomes exhausted, and 

 the provision must be renewed. Where, and how ? I 

 think I can answer the question. 



The few burrows uncovered along their entirety, with 

 the meticulous care such a task demands, have revealed 

 at the bottom, encrusted in the wall of the terminal 

 chamber, a living root, sometimes of the thickness of 

 a pencil, sometimes no bigger than a straw. The visible 

 portion of this root is only a fraction of an inch in 

 length ; the rest is hidden by the surrounding earth. 

 Is the presence of this source of sap fortuitous ? Or 

 is it the result of deliberate choice on the part of the 

 larva ? I incline towards the second alternative, so 

 repeatedly was the presence of a root verified, at least 

 when my search was skilfully conducted. 



Yes, the Cigale, digging its chamber, the nucleus of 

 the future shaft, seeks out the immediate neighbourhood 

 of a small living root ; it lays bare a certain portion, 

 which forms i^art of the wall, without projecting. This 



