236 AUGUST. 



were regarded as all but divine. One bard 

 entreats the shepherds to spare the innoxious 

 Tettix, that nightingale of the nymphs, and to 

 make those mischievous birds, the thrush and 

 blackbird, their prey. ' Sweet prophet of the 

 summer,' says Anacreon, addressing this insect, 

 ' the Muses love thee ; Phoebus himself loves 

 thee, and has given thee a shrill song ; old age 

 does not wear thee ; thou art wise, earth-born, 

 musical, impassive, without blood ; thou art al- 

 most like a god.' So attached were the Athe- 

 nians to these insects that they were accus- 

 tomed to fasten golden images of them in their 

 hair, implying, at the same time, a boast that 

 they themselves, as well as the Cicada?, were 

 Terrac filii. They were regarded indeed by all 

 as the happiest as well as the most innocent of 

 animals — not, we will suppose, for the reason 

 given by the saucy Rhodian Xenarchus, when 

 he says, 



Happy the Cicadas' lives, 



Since they all have voiceless wives. 



" If the Grecian Tettix, or Cicada, had been 

 distinguished by a harsh and deafening note, 

 like those of some other countries, it would 

 hardly have been an object of such affection. 

 That it was not, is clearly proved by the con- 

 nexion which was supposed to exist between it 

 and music. Thus the sound of this insect and 



