NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



States. The first cicadas appear in this latitude about the latter part of 

 Mayor in early June, and continue till July. An enormous brood which 

 appeared in the Hudson river valley in 1894 had entirely disappeared by 

 July 20. The pupa emerges from a circular hole or burrow about y^ inch 

 in diameter and climbs the nearest supports. Here it fixes itself firmly and 

 prepares for the final transformation. The skin soon splits along the back 

 and the creamy white adult, with its red eyes and the black spots on its 

 thorax, works itself slowly out of the old case. It is soft just after 

 emerging, and as it dries the parts harden and assume the size and 

 color of the perfect insect. The cicadas may be found resting on branches 

 or twigs throughout the day or engaged in ovipositing. There has been 

 some question as to the adult feeding, but this has recently been settled 

 beyond all question by Prof. A. L. Ouaintance, who has demonstrated that 

 the insects insert their beaks into plant tissues, draw nourishment there- 

 from, and that the digestive tract is continuous and functional. The 

 cicadas, however, require so little nourishment during their brief existence 

 that very little or no harm is done in this manner. The principal injury 

 is caused by the insects gouging the tender twigs for the purpose of insert- 

 ing their eggs. This operation has been described b)- Mr Ira H. Lawton 

 as follows : 



After finishing one fissure the female moved slowly forward about two 

 steps, depressed her ovipositor about 45 ", and setting her saws in motion, 

 first alternately and then simultaneously, rapidly penetrated the bark, but the 

 ovipositor was soon elevated to 25". After penetrating to the full length of 

 her ovipositor and filling that chamber with eggs, she swung a little to one 

 side and through the same hole in the bark excavated the opposite chamber 

 and filled it with eggs. The making of each chamber occupied a little over 

 20 minutes or a total of 45 minutes for the whole. During the cutting of 

 a fissure, the saws made about 80 strokes to the minute, and after making 

 four, the female would rest for a time. The head of the cicadas were 

 directed, in the main, from the tree but not invariably so, as some worked 

 with their heads toward the trunk of the tree. 



As many as 50 of these fissures ma)' be made by the female in a twig, 



provided it is suitable, and after depositing her complement of eggs, which 



is said to be from 400 to 500, she drops from the branch and dies. The 



