CHAPTER XV 

 THE STRANGE CYCLE OF THE CICADA 



THE true locust of our meadows and fields, which 

 is closely related to the dread destroyer of Holy 

 Scriptures and to the Rocky Mountain locust, is com- 

 monly called a "grasshopper," which it is not. The real 

 grasshopper resembles the true locust in many respects, 

 but is a different insect. Then, again, the proper name 

 of the so-called "seventeen-year locust" is Cicada {Ci- 

 cada septendecim), and it belongs to a genus known es- 

 pecially in Great Britain as "harvest-flies." 



There is an annual cicada whose buzzing note is 

 popularly held to predict hot weather, and which in 

 form and habit resembles the seventeen-year species. 

 Its high, sharp trill is well known to village lads whose 

 self-made toy of a paper-covered cylinder whirled upon 

 a horse-hair has amused many sunmier hours. Its 

 scientific name, Cicada Hhicen, well enough expresses 

 one of its popular names, "the lyrenian"; but it is 

 better known as the dog-day harvest-fly, or cicada, or 

 "locust." 



Since this insect is known to appear from year to 

 year, some persons have doubted the existence of a 

 seventeen-year species on the ground of what they call 

 their own observation. But Septendecim is truly peri- 

 odical, and takes seventeen years to mature. That time 



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