INSECT COLLECTING IN BRITISH GUIANA. II! 
which it uses for sawing off the branches of trees in the 
bush, cutting them so clean that it is difficult to believe 
a beetle could do it. Place an ordinary bit of stick ora 
lead pencil between its jaws, and it will break it in two 3 
as though it had been matchwood. It is beautifully 
marked with brownish yellow, and a pattern on the 
wing cases in dark brown. The finest specimen I have 
seen here, was given to me by Mr. FRANK FOWLER, 
Government Surveyor, who caught it on the Upper 
Demerara River. The Cicada, or as it is commonly 
called, the Six o’clock Bee, may be heard anywhere 
about the town about six o’clock, but it would bea great 
mistake to suppose that these inseéts only make their 
peculiar stridulation at that time of the day. In the 
bush, where there is always shade throughout the day, 
the cicada may be seen flitting from tree to tree all day 
making this noise. They are found in great numbers 
on the Berbice River. It is generally thought that this 
inseét makes the sound by vibration of its wings, such 
however is not the case. ‘‘ The organs by which this 
* stridulation” is produced are situated at the base of the 
abdomen, in two cavities enclosed by large horny plates. 
The special organs enclosed in these cavities consist of 
elastic folded membranes attached to a horny ring, and 
the noise has generally been described as produced by 
the vibration of these membranes, caused by the aétion 
of the muscles originating from the median partition of 
the second abdominal segment” (CASSELL’s Nat. Hist.) 
They are very hard to catch, as one generally hears, but 
hardly ever sees them. The mole crickets are very numer- 
ous at certain times of the year, and become very 
troublesome at night by flying against the lamps. The 
