CICADA. 151 



related by ancient authors, of two rival* musi- 

 cians alternately playing for a prize; when one 

 of the candidates was so unfortunate as to break a 

 string of his lyre; by which accident he would 

 certainly have failed; when a Cicada, flying near, 

 happened to settle on his Lyre, and by its own 

 note supplied the defective string, a"nd thus en- 

 abled the favoured candidate to overcome his an- 

 tagonist. So remarkable was the event, that a 

 statue was erected to perpetuate the memory of 

 it, in which a man is represented playing on a 



Ivre, on which sits a Cicada. 







Notwithstanding these romantic attestations in 

 favor of the Cicada, it is certain that modern ears 

 are offended rather than pleased with its voice, 

 which is so very strong and stridulous that it 

 fatigues by its incessant repetition; and a single 

 Cicada hung up in a cage has been found almost 

 to drown the voice of a whole company. 



It is to be observed that the male Cicada alone 

 exerts this powerful note; the females being en- 

 tirely mute : hence the old witticism attributed to 

 that incorrigible sensualist Xenarchus the Rho- 

 dian. 



" Happy the Cicadas' lives, 



Since they all have voiceless wives !" 



That a sound so piercing should proceed from so 

 small a body may well excite our astonishment; 

 and the curious apparatus by which it is produced 



* Viz. Eunomus of LocrUj and Aristo of Rhegium. 



