202 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



soon after the arrival of settlers, arousing considerable fear and 

 apprehension. 



The following acconnt is given in Nathaniel Moreton's " New 

 England's Menioriall," and the facts as given are corroborated 

 by Governor Bradford, Eev. Wm. Hubbard and Mr. Prince, in 

 Prince's " Annual." Speaking of a sickness which broke out 

 in and near Plymouth in Massachusetts in 1633, he says: "It 

 is to be observed that the Spring before this Sickness, there was 

 a numerous company of Flies, which were like for bigness unto 

 Wasps or Bumble-bees, They come out of little holes in the 

 ground and did eat up all the green things, and made such a 

 constant yelling noise as made all the woods ring of them, and 

 ready to deaf the hearers; they were not any of them heard or 

 seen by the English in the Country beforfe this time. But the 

 Indians told them that sickness would follow and so it did, very 

 hot in the months of June, July and August of that Summer," 

 viz., 1633. He says: "Toward Winter the sickness ceased," 

 and that it was " a kind of a pestilent Fever." 



How widely this brood was distributed at this time cannot 

 be stated, but careful study of more recent appearances shows 

 that this, like most other broods, is slowly but surely decreasing 

 in size. At present it is the. largest in Massachusetts, and seems 

 to have held its ground most successfully; this may be due to 

 the more favorable natural conditions of the country it occupies. 

 The brood is, generally speaking, shut into the western part of 

 Barnstable County, — on the west by the neck at Buzzards Bay 

 and Sandwich, and on the east by the neck at Barnstable harbor 

 and Yarmouth. Most of the brood is enclosed within these two 

 bounds, but with a little overflow on each side. On the west 

 this overflow extends as far as Manomet Point and Cook's Pond. 

 In 180-1 the brood appeared in great numbers lyo miles west of 

 Plymouth, but no further record of this part of the brood can 

 be found, and it probably soon died out. On the eastern side 

 the overflow extends at least into Dennis, 



The brood made its last appearance in 1906. In order to 

 ascertain the exact distribution and abundance of this brood. 

 Dr. H. T. Fernald, through the co-operation of the State Board 

 of Agriculture, sent circulars to each town where the cicada 

 might be expected to appear, and from the information received 



