﻿.284 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  formed 
  by 
  the 
  pupa 
  ,of 
  a 
  Cicada 
  that 
  had 
  emerged 
  from 
  the 
  earth 
  

   beneath 
  the 
  cellar. 
  Finding 
  a 
  dark 
  chamber, 
  and 
  apparently 
  desiring 
  to 
  

   work 
  up 
  to 
  dayhght, 
  the 
  Cicadas 
  had 
  taken 
  the 
  moist 
  clay 
  and 
  of 
  this 
  

   formed 
  pellets 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  tubes 
  were 
  built 
  up. 
  apparently 
  with 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  bridging 
  over 
  the 
  vacancy 
  and 
  ihus 
  reaching 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  These 
  facts 
  appeared 
  to 
  me 
  so 
  interesting 
  that 
  I 
  procured 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  the 
  tubes, 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  first 
  report 
  verified 
  by 
  the 
  written 
  

   testimony 
  of 
  the 
  owner 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  and 
  several 
  other 
  weli-known 
  

   citizens 
  of 
  Rahway. 
  

  

  The 
  document 
  sent 
  me 
  with 
  the 
  tubes 
  has 
  remained 
  in 
  my 
  possession 
  

   to 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  It 
  is 
  dated 
  June, 
  1877, 
  and 
  reads 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  "These 
  cones 
  were 
  erected 
  by 
  the 
  pupas 
  of 
  the 
  Cicada 
  in 
  the 
  cellar 
  of 
  

   a 
  house 
  belonging 
  to 
  Alonzo 
  Jaques, 
  Rahway, 
  during 
  parts 
  of 
  May 
  and 
  

   June, 
  1877. 
  They 
  were 
  built 
  in 
  an 
  unfloored 
  cellar 
  of 
  a 
  house 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  about 
  eight 
  years 
  ago 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  orchard. 
  The 
  cellar 
  was 
  dug 
  

   to 
  about 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  red 
  clay, 
  and 
  the 
  bottom 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  

   slight 
  layer 
  of 
  debris, 
  sand, 
  sticks, 
  etc. 
  The 
  cellar 
  was 
  perfectly 
  dark 
  

   during 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  cones, 
  the 
  only 
  opening 
  being 
  shut. 
  The 
  

   locality 
  is 
  a 
  dry 
  one, 
  the 
  house 
  being 
  situated 
  on 
  a 
  rise 
  of 
  grourid, 
  and 
  

   about 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  water 
  — 
  a 
  ditch 
  dry 
  in 
  sum- 
  

   mer. 
  These 
  cones 
  were 
  not 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  erection, 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  

   cellar 
  was 
  opened, 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  locusts 
  made 
  their 
  first 
  appearance, 
  

   the 
  whole 
  cellar 
  bottom 
  was 
  covered 
  by 
  them. 
  The 
  tops 
  of 
  all 
  were 
  

   closed, 
  but 
  on 
  breaking 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  the 
  pupas 
  were 
  seen 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  

   hole 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  cone. 
  

  

  "After 
  the 
  cellar 
  had 
  been 
  opened 
  and 
  left 
  so, 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  

   stopped 
  building 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  made 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  cones 
  for 
  

   their 
  exit. 
  These 
  cones 
  were 
  a 
  great 
  curiosity 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Rahway, 
  

   and 
  many 
  came 
  to 
  see 
  them, 
  declaring 
  them 
  something 
  entirely 
  new 
  in 
  

   their 
  experience." 
  

  

  (Signed) 
  A. 
  E. 
  Crow, 
  

  

  Alonzo 
  Jaques, 
  

   W. 
  B. 
  Devrie, 
  

   M. 
  L. 
  Crow. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  facts 
  cited 
  above 
  we 
  have 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  exercise 
  of 
  inteUigence 
  

   in 
  the 
  Cicada, 
  and 
  a 
  judicious 
  adaptation 
  of 
  means 
  to 
  an 
  end 
  in 
  circum- 
  

   stances 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  without 
  precedent 
  in 
  the 
  

   experience 
  of 
  that 
  or 
  any 
  preceding 
  generation; 
  and, 
  therefore, 
  for 
  which 
  

   n6 
  education 
  of 
  ancestors 
  could 
  have 
  given 
  a 
  preparation. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  

   that 
  the 
  pupa 
  of 
  the 
  Cicada 
  is 
  sometimes 
  embarrassed 
  in 
  its 
  ascent 
  to 
  

   the 
  surface, 
  by 
  water, 
  by 
  too 
  wet 
  or 
  too 
  dry 
  sand 
  or 
  mud, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  hardly 
  

   possible 
  to 
  imagine 
  circumstances 
  where 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  tunnel 
  

   would 
  be 
  necessary. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  earth, 
  caves 
  of 
  any 
  considerable 
  size 
  rarely 
  or 
  never 
  occur, 
  

   since 
  surface 
  water 
  is 
  constandy 
  flowing 
  through 
  all 
  superficial 
  materials, 
  

   and 
  filling 
  cavities 
  with 
  transported 
  matter. 
  Caves 
  often 
  occur 
  in 
  rocks, 
  

   but 
  the 
  Cicada 
  has 
  no 
  power 
  to 
  penetrate 
  rock, 
  and 
  lives 
  in 
  earth 
  near 
  

   the 
  surface. 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  some 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  made 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  Cicada 
  a 
  

   study, 
  can 
  suggest 
  a 
  school 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  could 
  have 
  received 
  the 
  train- 
  

   ing 
  that 
  fitted 
  them 
  for 
  the 
  engineering 
  work 
  they 
  attempted 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

  

  