THE cicada's last song 



255 



brim in the spring a full-fledged hornet, with its 

 mouth watering at the thought of cicadas. 



What a strange wonder-working medicine is 

 this which the hornet carries in its laboratory ! 

 In the guise of deatli it yet prolongs life indefi- 





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> v 



>-'%i 



nitely. The ordinary existence of the cicada, for 

 instance, is but a few weeks at most, and yet it is 

 claimed by Mr. Riley that if for any reason the 

 ^%% of the wasp should fail to hatch, the paralyzed 

 cicada will remain in its condition of suspended 

 animation for a year, and presumably longer. 

 Here is a suo^orestion for the materia medica 



