CHAPTER III 



THE CICADA: THE TRANSFORMATION 



THE exit-gate is passed and left wide 

 open, like a hole made with a large 

 gimlet. For some time the larva wanders 

 about the neighbourhood, looking for some 

 aerial support, a tiny bush, a tuft of thyme, 

 a blade of grass or the twig of a shrub. It 

 finds it, climbs up and, head upwards, clings 

 to it firmly with the claws of the fore-feet, 

 which close and do not let go again. The 

 other legs take part in sustaining it, if the 

 position of the branch make this possible; 

 if not, the two claws suffice. There follows 

 a moment of rest to allow the supporting 

 arms to stiffen into an immovable grip. 



First, the mesothorax splits along the 

 middle of the back. The edges of the slit 

 separate slowly and reveal the pale-green 

 colour of the insect. Almost immediately 

 afterwards, the prothorax splits also. The 

 longitudinal fissure reaches the back of the 



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