596 



ARTICULATA. 



LANTEBN-FLIES. 



noise, which, as tlicy aiv trrncivilly --f lartjo size, is often exceedingly loud and sometimes dis- 

 agreeable. Nevetlicless, the ancients, and 

 particularly tlie Greeks, appear to have 

 regarded this music, which is very un- 

 pleasant to modern cars, with feelings 

 of great satisfaction ; and the Cicada is 

 often referred to with expressions of de- 

 light by the Greek poets. The apparatus 

 by which the sound is produced consists 

 of a sort of drum placed in a cavity on 

 each side of the base of the abdomen; 

 this is pulled inward by the action of a 

 -, . ^fe^^-^r-'"- particular muscle, and on being again let 

 f' "-:f?S;i' ■^^^:-, loose its vibration produces a loud, sharp 

 tone. The drums are concealed by scale- 

 like plates, which are sometimes so large 

 as to reach nearly to the extremity of the 

 abdomen. 



The female lays her eggs in slits, which 



she cuts in the bark of trees by means of 



a curious saAv-like ovipositor; the branches 



are generally so weakened by the operation 



tliat they fall to the ground, when the larvfB burrow^ down to the roots of the trees, npon which 



they feed, often occasionmg con- 

 siderable damage. They appear 

 to occupy at least two years in 

 their development. In America 

 the cicadas have the general name 

 of Harvest-Flics ; they are also 

 often improperly called Locusts. 

 There are several species, one of 

 Avhich, the Red-eyed Cicada, C. 

 septendecim^ is remarkable on ac- 

 count of the popular notion that 

 it appears only once in seventeen 

 years, in the same locality, being 

 supposed to pass the interval in 

 its preparatory stages. Hence it 

 is known in this country as the 

 Seventeen-year Locust. This idea 

 is, hoAvever, unfounded; some of 

 these insects appear among us every year, and they have manifested themselves in vast numbers 

 at irregular intervals of five to ten years. This insect is very different from the locust of the Scrip- 

 tures ; indeed, there appear to have been eleven different species of insect spoken of in the Bible 

 as locusts, but all of which were of the grasshopper family. 



THE CICADA. 



ORDER 11. THYSANURA. 



This order derives its name from the Greek thysanos, a fringe, and oura, a tail, and includes 

 two families, the one called Poduridce, and the other Lepismidce. The former comprises the 

 Springtails, having a forked tail, which is usually bent under the insect ; by means of its sud- 

 den expansion they effect a considerable leap. The latter have a long, spindle-shaped body, 

 usually covered with silvery scales; they are often seen in the sash-frames of windows. 



