APPLE TWIGS, LOCUST OTHER SPECIES. 41 



• It is possible that iU/Some of these last cases other species may 

 have been mistaken for the seventeen-year locust, and that in 

 those instances where straggling individuals of this locust aie re- 

 ported to have occurred during the intervals between the appear- 

 ance of the main swarm, other species have been confounded with 

 this, particularly the Creviced cicada, (C. rimosa^ Say,) which 

 comes out in- the same month, and in itscolors,&c., closely resem- 

 bles the C. septemdecim* 



I have personally met with this species in two instances; the 

 first was upon the forenoon of the tenth of June, 1826, upon the 

 oaks and other trees and .^hrubs. between West Troy and Cohoes, 

 which were covered with these insects at that dale, making the 

 neighborhood ring with the discordant din of their shrill song. 

 After the long interval of seventeen years, in a grove in the town 

 of Stillwater, the same note was heard again, and was instantly 



* We have iu our country several species of the large interesting insects which pertain to 

 this family. The most common one in our State is the Dog-day cicada, (C. canicularis — 

 Harris,) which probably is not distinct from the Frosted cicada (C. pruinosa) of Say. It 

 appears annually in most parts of the State in autumn. The Creviced cicada, (C rimosa — 

 Say,) and also the Bordered cicada, (C. marginata — Say,) occur also within our bounds. 

 Farther south the species become more numerous. Among a number of those sent me by Mr. 

 Robertson from tie Creek Indian territory, the following do not appear to have been hitherto 

 described. 



The Superb Cicada (C. superba) is of a rich olive green color, having a black band between 

 the eyes, and six black spots upori the anterior margin of the middle segment of the thorax. 

 The abdomen above is oli\'e-yellow, with two mealy-white spots at the base. The under side 

 is whitish-yellow, coated over with a mealy-white powder. The wiiig's are clear and glassy, 

 the apical row of cells of the fore wings and the hind margin slightly smoky ; the veins are 

 bright green, except those surrounding the apical row of cells, which are dark brown, and the 

 two short anastamosing outer veinlets are margined with smoky-brown, forming the usual 

 dusky W-shaped mark. This species measures an inch and three-fourths to the tips of the 

 closed wings. It occurred in August upon two small elm trees growing two rods apart, be- 

 side a brook in the middle of a prairie, with no other trees near, and no elms within some 

 miles of these. On climbing one of these trer s the cicadas, of which there wore a number of 

 individuals, all flew to the other tree; on climbing this last they all flew back ; so that on 

 climbing one tree three times and the other twice, but a single specimen could be captured, so 

 shy were they. 



KoBEETSoN's Cicada, (C. Eo6erfsojlH.)— Green, variegated with brown arid black; upper 

 tide of the abdomen black and shinitg, with two yellowish stots near the base; n.iddle seg- 

 ment of the thorax yellowish brown, the elevated x green, and a large green spot at the end 

 of each of its anterior horns ; wings glassy-hja'ine, their veins slender, green, becoming light 

 yellow at their apices; rib of the anterior wings edged with black on its inner side; length to 

 the tip of the closed wings, in the female, two inches and fifteen hundredths. 



