Smi 81 



Some writers say that the shrilling resembles the 

 sound of the syllables gacharin-gacharin ; but 

 others compare it to the noise of water boiling. 

 The abura^imi begins to chant about sunrise; 

 then a great soft hissing seems to ascend from 

 all the trees. At such an hour, when the foliage 

 of woods and gardens still sparkles with dew, 

 might have been composed the following verse, 

 the only one in my collection relating to the 

 abura^mi : 



Ano koe" d 



Tsuyu ga inochi ka ? 

 Aburaze'mi ! 



Speaking with that voice, has the dew taken life ? Only 

 the abura^mi ! 



IV. MUGI-KARI-ZfiMI. 



THE mugi-kari-^mi, or " barley -harvest semi," 

 also called gosbiki-^emi, or " five-colored semi," 

 appears early in the summer. It makes two 

 distinct sounds in different keys, resembling the 

 syllables sbi-in, shin chi-i, cbi-i. 



V. HIGURASHI, OR " KANA-KANA." 



THIS insect, whose name signifies " day-darken 

 ing," is the most remarkable of all the Japanese 



