The Cicada: the Eggs 



straight line. Its feeble power of move- 

 ment must help the grub to come out of the 

 egg-shell and — a more difficult matter — out 

 of the fibrous passage. Withdrawing a little 

 way from the body and then returning, this 

 lever provides a purchase for progression by 

 means of the terminal claws, which are al- 

 ready well-developed. The four other legs 

 are still wrapped in the common envelope 

 and are absolutely inert. This applies also 

 to the antennae, which can hardly be per- 

 ceived through the lens. Altogether, the 

 organism newly issued from the egg is an 

 exceedingly small, boat-shaped body, with a 

 single oar pointing backwards on the ventral 

 surface and formed of the two fore-legs 

 joined together. The segmentation is very 

 clearly marked, especially on the abdomen. 

 Lastly, the whole thing is quite smooth, with 

 not a hair on it. 



What name shall I give to this initial state 

 of the Cicada, a state so strange and unfore- 

 seen and hitherto unsuspected? Must I 

 knock Greek words together and fashion 

 some uncouth expression? I shall do nothing 

 of the sort, convinced as I am that barbarous 

 terms are only a cumbrous impediment to 

 science. I shall simply call it " the primary 



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