﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  2/5 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  oviposition 
  of 
  the 
  Cicada 
  is 
  

   based 
  on 
  some 
  interesting 
  observations 
  communicated 
  to 
  me 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Ira 
  H. 
  Lawton, 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  Schools 
  at 
  Nyack: 
  

  

  After 
  finishing 
  one 
  fissure 
  the 
  female 
  moved 
  slowly 
  forward 
  

  

  about 
  two 
  steps, 
  depressed 
  her 
  ovipositor 
  about 
  45°, 
  and 
  setting 
  

  

  her 
  saws 
  in 
  motion, 
  first 
  alternately 
  and 
  then 
  simultaneously, 
  

  

  rapidly 
  penetrated 
  the 
  bark, 
  but 
  the 
  ovipositor 
  was 
  soon 
  elevated 
  

  

  to 
  .25°. 
  After 
  penetrating 
  to 
  the 
  full 
  length 
  of 
  her 
  ovipositor 
  

  

  and 
  fining 
  that 
  chamber 
  with 
  eggs, 
  she 
  sv/ung 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  one 
  side 
  

  

  and 
  through 
  the 
  same 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  bark 
  excavated 
  the 
  opposite 
  

  

  chamber 
  and 
  filled 
  it 
  with 
  eggs. 
  The 
  making 
  of 
  each 
  chamber 
  

  

  occupied 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  20 
  minutes 
  or 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  45 
  minutes 
  for 
  the 
  

  

  whole. 
  During 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  a 
  fissure, 
  the 
  saws 
  made 
  about 
  80 
  

  

  strokes 
  to 
  the 
  minute, 
  and 
  after 
  making 
  four, 
  the 
  female 
  would 
  

  

  rest 
  for 
  a 
  time. 
  The 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Cicadas 
  w^s 
  directed, 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  main, 
  from 
  the 
  tree 
  but 
  not 
  invariably 
  so, 
  as 
  some 
  worked 
  with 
  

  

  their 
  head 
  toward 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  the 
  tree. 
  ^^ 
  

  

  Fig. 
  5.- 
  

   Sometimes 
  fifty 
  of 
  these 
  fissures 
  maybe 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  Cicada 
  

  

  punctures 
  

  

  female 
  m 
  a 
  twig, 
  provided 
  it 
  is 
  suitable 
  to 
  her 
  needs. 
  After 
  in 
  twig, 
  

   depositing 
  her 
  complement 
  of 
  from 
  400 
  to 
  500 
  eggs, 
  she 
  drops 
  exhausted 
  

   from 
  the 
  branch 
  and 
  dies. 
  

  

  Natural 
  HivStory. 
  

  

  The 
  time 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  hatching 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  has 
  been 
  variously 
  

   stated 
  at 
  fifty-two 
  days, 
  forty-two 
  days, 
  and 
  even 
  so 
  brief 
  as 
  four- 
  

   teen 
  days. 
  

  

  The 
  nev/ly 
  hatched 
  Cicadas 
  are 
  slender, 
  grub-like 
  creatures 
  about 
  one- 
  

   sixteenth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  long 
  (Fig. 
  6). 
  They 
  are 
  as 
  lively 
  as 
  ants, 
  and 
  after 
  

   running 
  about 
  on 
  the 
  tree 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  

   time 
  they 
  drop 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  where 
  they 
  ^^^.^^^s^^^^^^^^" 
  

   bury. 
  Their 
  strong 
  fore 
  legs 
  are 
  ad- 
  iS^^^^^fffife^^'^ 
  J 
  J 
  i&T 
  

  

  mirably 
  adapted 
  for 
  digging, 
  and 
  by 
  ^^^r\(:{; 
  3 
  

   their 
  use 
  they 
  burrow 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  tender, 
  succulent, 
  rootlets 
  into 
  Fig. 
  6. 
  Young 
  Cicada, 
  greatly 
  enlarged. 
  

  

  which 
  they 
  insert 
  their 
  beaks 
  and 
  extract 
  their 
  modicum 
  of 
  needed 
  

   nourishment. 
  The 
  larvae 
  grow 
  so 
  slowly 
  and 
  require 
  so 
  little 
  food, 
  that 
  

   they 
  cause 
  but 
  slight 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  trees 
  or 
  the 
  shrubs 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  

   attach 
  themselves. 
  Ordinarily 
  they 
  remain 
  at 
  a 
  moderate 
  depth, 
  especially 
  

   during 
  the 
  earlier 
  and 
  later 
  portions 
  of 
  their 
  existence, 
  though 
  at 
  times 
  

   they 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  