MUSICIANS 255 



by a special muscle. These vibrations can be 

 watched in the living insect when it is singing. 



The present writer is indebted to the Rev. R. 

 Wyllie, for further light upon the method by which 

 the vocal apparatus is set vibrating. This gentle- 

 man spent twenty years in Guiana and set himself 

 to elucidate the matter. He says : 



" The insect is called the ' Six o'clock,' because 

 it is always heard about the time of sunset, which 

 occurs about six o'clock all the year round. In 

 Trinidad, I believe, it is called the ' Scissor Grinder,' 

 because its noise resembles that made by a few 

 score scissor grinders concentrated in one loud 

 effort. The insect may be heard at other times, 

 especially at sunrise and noon ; but not so per- 

 sistently. 



" In answer to my enquiries, I could find no one 

 to tell me how the great noise was produced by 

 so small a creature. For years my curiosity on the 

 subject was unsatisfied. ; although I persevered 

 in both enquiries and observations. Two things 

 I had noted : first, that the long shrill note, lasting 

 about twenty to thirty seconds, was preceded by 

 three or four short jerky ones ; and, second, that 

 the distance and direction were not easily judged. 

 A cicada might seem to be uttering its call at a 

 distance of fifty or a hundred feet away, on the 

 right, and suddenly the little creature would stop, 

 and fly away from a position within arm's length, 

 on the left. 



"And then, one evening as I was standing still, 



