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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Stories 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  concerning 
  it 
  and 
  its 
  ways 
  find 
  ready 
  credence 
  among 
  

   the 
  people. 
  Each 
  return 
  is 
  also 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  scientists 
  as 
  it 
  gives, 
  for 
  a 
  

   brief 
  time, 
  an 
  opportunity 
  for 
  studying 
  the 
  ways 
  of 
  this 
  singular 
  insect. 
  

   It 
  is 
  only 
  by 
  carefully 
  observing 
  their 
  number 
  as 
  they 
  appear 
  from 
  time 
  

   to 
  time, 
  that 
  an 
  approximate 
  idea 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  of 
  the 
  rate 
  at 
  which 
  

   the 
  insect 
  is 
  diminishing 
  in 
  number 
  with 
  its 
  successive 
  returns. 
  Thanks 
  

   to 
  the 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  Riley, 
  we 
  know 
  pretty 
  closely 
  the 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  broods 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  and 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  

   foretell 
  their 
  appearance. 
  The 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  valley 
  brood 
  

   in 
  1894 
  is 
  of 
  special 
  interest 
  to 
  us, 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  widest 
  in 
  range 
  and 
  

   the 
  most 
  numerous 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  broods 
  known 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  

   the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  Characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  Insect. 
  

   Most 
  people 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  Cicada 
  (commonly 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  locust) 
  and 
  many 
  

   have 
  seen 
  both 
  pup^ 
  and 
  adults 
  of 
  the 
  "periodical 
  Cicada.'' 
  The 
  wing- 
  

   less, 
  red-eyed 
  pupa 
  will 
  be 
  readily 
  recognized 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  figure 
  2 
  of 
  

   plate 
  IX, 
  and 
  needs 
  no 
  further 
  description. 
  The 
  perfect 
  insect 
  may 
  easily 
  

   be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  common 
  dog-day 
  Cicada 
  or 
  harvest-fly, 
  Cicada 
  

   tibicen, 
  by 
  the 
  eyes 
  and 
  the 
  veins 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  being 
  a 
  bright 
  red. 
  More 
  or 
  

   less 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  (especially 
  in 
  the 
  male) 
  and 
  the 
  

   legs 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  dull 
  red. 
  The 
  dorsal 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  almost 
  entirely 
  

   black. 
  If 
  we 
  compare 
  the 
  periodical 
  Cicada 
  with 
  the 
  dogrday 
  Cicada 
  or 
  

   harvest-fly, 
  we 
  will 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  a 
  considerably 
  stouter 
  insect 
  with 
  

   green 
  markings 
  on 
  the 
  thorax, 
  greenish 
  eyes, 
  and 
  the 
  veins 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  

   bright 
  green, 
  while 
  the 
  ventral 
  surface 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  

   white 
  powdery 
  substance. 
  The 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  of 
  the 
  periodical 
  Cicada 
  

   with 
  their 
  wings 
  expanded, 
  and 
  one 
  with 
  its 
  wings 
  closed 
  as 
  in 
  rest, 
  are 
  

   represented 
  in 
  figure 
  i 
  of 
  plate 
  IX. 
  

  

  Oviposition. 
  

  

  The 
  female, 
  when 
  ready 
  for 
  oviposition, 
  selects 
  a 
  small 
  branch, 
  prefer- 
  

   ably 
  of 
  oak 
  or 
  apple, 
  but 
  almost 
  any 
  tree 
  except 
  the 
  pines, 
  and 
  placing 
  

   herself 
  near 
  its 
  tip 
  she 
  proceeds 
  to 
  deposit 
  her 
  eggs. 
  With 
  her 
  ovi- 
  

   positor 
  she 
  saws 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  oblique 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  twig 
  with 
  splintered 
  

   outer 
  edges, 
  as 
  represented 
  in 
  figure 
  5. 
  In 
  each 
  she 
  places 
  from 
  

   ten 
  to 
  twenty 
  eggs, 
  in 
  pairs 
  side 
  by 
  side, 
  but 
  separated 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  

   by 
  portions 
  of 
  woody 
  fibre, 
  and 
  inserted 
  somewhat 
  obliquely 
  so 
  that 
  

   their 
  ends 
  point 
  upward. 
  A 
  fissure 
  is 
  made 
  and 
  filled 
  with 
  eggs 
  in 
  from 
  

   fifteen 
  to 
  forty 
  minutes, 
  when 
  at 
  a 
  slight 
  distance 
  on 
  the 
  twig 
  the 
  opera- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  repeated. 
  

  

  