﻿288 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  of 
  no 
  avail. 
  Subsequent 
  investigation 
  and 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  the 
  father 
  of 
  the 
  

   lad, 
  proved 
  the 
  story 
  to 
  be 
  utterly 
  false. 
  

  

  A 
  school-girl, 
  whose 
  name 
  was 
  given, 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  stung 
  

   in 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  neck 
  by 
  a 
  Cicada 
  that 
  flew 
  into 
  the 
  school-room 
  : 
  she 
  

   was 
  taken 
  home 
  in 
  a 
  carriage 
  and 
  died 
  in 
  great 
  agony 
  the 
  following 
  morn- 
  

   ing. 
  This 
  story 
  had 
  even 
  less 
  foundation 
  than 
  the 
  preceding, 
  as 
  it 
  could 
  

   not 
  be 
  traced 
  to 
  any 
  reliable 
  source, 
  and 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  person 
  was 
  not 
  

   known 
  in 
  the 
  locality 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  occurred. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  H. 
  D. 
  Lewis, 
  of 
  Annandale, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   stung 
  so 
  severely 
  as 
  to 
  necessitate 
  the 
  amputation 
  of 
  a 
  finger. 
  His 
  reply 
  

   to 
  the 
  inquiry 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  truthfulness 
  of 
  the 
  report, 
  was 
  as 
  follows: 
  

   " 
  Allov/ 
  me 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  my 
  being 
  stung 
  and 
  the 
  amputation 
  

   necessary 
  was 
  pure 
  invention, 
  as 
  I 
  still 
  retain 
  the 
  allotted 
  number 
  of 
  

   bodily 
  members 
  unimpaired." 
  

  

  The 
  story 
  of 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  locusts 
  attacking 
  and 
  killing 
  a 
  horse 
  near 
  

   Jacksonville, 
  Pa., 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  South 
  Mountain, 
  is 
  also 
  another 
  news- 
  

   paper 
  report 
  deserving 
  of 
  no 
  credence. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  last 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  Cicada 
  in 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  valley, 
  hun- 
  

   dreds 
  and 
  possibly 
  thousands 
  of 
  persons 
  handled 
  the 
  insects. 
  Many 
  

   school 
  children 
  amused 
  themselves 
  by 
  playing 
  with 
  them. 
  After 
  investi- 
  

   gating 
  the 
  newspaper 
  and 
  other 
  reports 
  of 
  fatalities 
  and 
  injuries 
  inflicted 
  

   by 
  their 
  sting, 
  and 
  mailing 
  nearly 
  one 
  thousand 
  circulars 
  throughout 
  the 
  ^ 
  

   region 
  visited 
  by 
  the 
  Cicada, 
  in 
  which 
  special 
  inquiry 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  persons 
  stung 
  by 
  it, 
  only 
  one 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  was 
  reported, 
  

   and 
  even 
  in 
  this 
  there 
  was 
  reason 
  for 
  doubting 
  that 
  the 
  slight 
  wound 
  had 
  

   been 
  inflicted 
  by 
  a 
  Cicada. 
  From 
  the 
  above, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  other 
  

   investigations, 
  there 
  is 
  good 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  incapable 
  

   of 
  inflicting 
  a 
  dangerous 
  or 
  severe 
  sting, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  fatalities 
  ascribed 
  

   to 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  are 
  pure 
  and 
  simple 
  inventions. 
  

  

  Natural 
  Enemies. 
  

   A 
  Cicada 
  year 
  is 
  a 
  time 
  of 
  unusual 
  feasting 
  for 
  many 
  vertebrates 
  in 
  the 
  

   locality 
  where 
  it 
  occurs. 
  Cats 
  and 
  dogs 
  eat 
  the 
  pupag 
  as 
  they 
  emerge 
  

   from 
  the 
  ground. 
  Skunks, 
  ground-hogs 
  and 
  grey 
  squirrels 
  have 
  been 
  

   observed 
  feeding 
  on 
  them, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  several 
  other 
  quad- 
  

   rupeds 
  avail 
  themselves 
  of 
  this 
  abundant 
  food-supply 
  so 
  easily 
  obtained. 
  

   Domestic 
  fowls 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  eat 
  them 
  greedily, 
  — 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  they 
  were 
  

   known 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  the 
  entire 
  day 
  feeding 
  o'n 
  them. 
  They 
  

   are 
  eaten 
  by 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  insectivorous 
  birds. 
  Robins 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  prefer 
  

   them 
  to 
  strawberries, 
  and 
  the 
  crow 
  devours 
  them 
  in 
  preference 
  to 
  corn. 
  

  

  