132 NATURAL HISTORY. 



forward, and consist of five joints, of which the third is 

 the largest. These insects are lazy, swim and creep 

 slowly on the bottoms of ponds or stagnant waters, occa- 

 sionally grappling on the roots of plants. It is easy to 

 capture them, but is not often attempted, as their sting 

 is severe as that of a bee ; they prey upon insects, even 

 those of their own race, seizing them with their fore feet 

 and wounding them with their sharp proboscis, suck the 

 blood of their victims most greedily. 



The Singing Grasshopper (cicada plebea)* on the 

 back is shining brown, dirty yellow below ; the breast- 

 plate is marked with a red cross ; the length of the body 

 exceeds an inch ; the head is short and thick, the wings 

 transparent, the antennae very filamentous, the legs of 

 equal length, none of them being formed for leaping. 

 The males have a kind of drum, formed of two oval car- 

 tilaginous plates ; these, placed on the under surface of 

 the body, near each other, and moved by muscular 

 power, strike together, and produce a monotonous and 

 noisy kind of music. The Cicadarice are pretty little 

 insects, and were known in very ancient times, doing lit- 

 tle injury to plants, although feeding on their juices, and 

 are generally favorites with man, on account of their 

 cheerful and continued songs ; the most are natives of 

 southern regions. 



The Foamer (cicada spumaria), about the size of a 

 flea, brown, with four pairs of large white spots on the 

 front wings, which, however, are sometimes rather indis- 

 tinct ; the head is broad, rather than long, only on the 

 lower surface it is extended into a proboscis or sucker. 

 The hind legs are long and prickly ; they can leap over 



* Called Katydid in the United States. The French call them 

 Chantcvses, or singers. Tr. 



