CLASS-BOOK OF ZOOLOGY. 139 



appears in flocks, like heavy clouds, flying from the east 

 towards the west at a height of five hundred feet. They 

 fall in dense clouds upon the ground, and devour the 

 vegetation with a fearful rapidity, leaving nothing but 

 the naked soil. 



§ 576. Whole countries, many hundred miles in extent, 

 have been thus deprived of their substance. Famine, as 

 a necessary consequence, is the result of such a devasta- 

 tion ; which is followed by pestilence, caused by the 

 stench of myriads of the dead Grasshoppers. 



§ 577. The Seventeen-year s Locust (Cicada Septende- 

 cim) is an inch and a half long, has a black body, red 

 eyes, and a short, thick head, with a needle-shaped move- 

 able snout, resting on the breast, for the purpose of suck- 

 ing dew. 



\ 578. The Seventeen-years Locust is found in the 

 United States, where it appears, in some years, in incal- 

 culable numbers. It is so called because it is generally 

 b ! ; ved that it appears only every seventeen years. But 

 as they appeared in Maryland and Virginia in the year 

 1834, and again in 1843, in immense numbers, and as 

 some are found every summer in many places, it would 

 seem that this Locust is not rightly named. 



\ 579. This locust is harmless, pleasant on account of 

 its song, and does no injury to plants. Its food consists 

 only of dew, which it sucks with its snout. Its appear- 

 ance, therefore, need not occasion anxiety or alarm. 



5 580. The Locust is important as a delicious food for 

 our fowls. The ancient Romans kept a kindred species, 

 of the same size, (Cicada Orni,) in cages, for the sake of 

 its song, and called it the " Nightingale of the Nymphs," 

 " The Sweet Prophet of the Summer," " The Love of the 

 Muses." 



QUESTIONS ON SECT. XXXIV. 



564. What do you know of Bugs and their larva? Name some. 



565. How do Bugs produce sound- ? 



515G. What is the length, color, and abode of the Cockroach? 

 507. Why and where is the Cockroach dangerous? 



568. Why is it desirable to extirpate Cockroaches, and how may it be 

 effected ? 



569. What are the names of the different Crickets, and why do they live 

 separately ? 



