74 THE PERIODICAL CICADA. 
full of a thick white matter like cream aud that hogs rooted up the 
ground a foot deep in search of them. Dr. Potter refers briefly to the 
fact that great numbers of them are "devoured by hogs, squirrels, all 
kinds of poultry, and birds, which live and fatten on them." 
That they are sometimes considered to be poisonous when made an 
object of food is indicated in the following quotation from Dr. Phares. 
He says : 
Many species of domestic and wild birds, quadrupeds, and other animals eat the 
Cicadas greedily and with impunity. In 1859 they were said to have killed a few 
hogs in Amite County. They have no poison about them, yet it is not to be won- 
dered at that an occasional hungry hog or other animal, eating very largely of such 
food, should become sick or even die. Dogs become very fond of them. One evening 
I watched a bitch catching and eating so many that I expected her to become sick 
from her rich feast of fat things, but she was in no way injured. Indeed, I have 
never seen any animal injured or otherwise. 
As has been indicated elsewhere, the liking of domestic animals and 
birds, especially the English sparrow, for the Cicadas, both in their 
newly emerged condition and in the mature state, is one of the most 
potent influences in exterminating or greatly reducing the abundance 
of this insect in thickly settled districts. 
The use of the newly emerged and succulent Cicadas as an article of 
human diet has merely a theoretical interest, because, if for no other rea- 
son, they occur too rarely to have any real value. There is also the much 
stronger objection in the instinctive repugnance which all-insects seem 
to inspire as an article of food to most civilized nations. Theoretically, 
the Cicada, collected at the proper time and suitably dressed and served, 
should be a rather attractive food. The larva? have lived solely ou 
vegetable matter of the cleanest and most wholesome sort, and sup- 
posedly, therefore, would be much more palatable and suitable for food 
than the oyster, with its scavenger habit of living in the muddy ooze of 
river bottoms, or many other animals which are highly prized and 
which have not half so clean a record as the periodical Cicada. 
OVIPOSITION AND ITS EFFECT ON THE PLANT 
The Cicada becomes almost perfectly hardened and mature during the 
first day of its aerial life, and does not wait many days before beginning 
the important business of its existence in the perfect stage, namely, 
depositing the eggs for another brood. Courtship occupies a compara- 
tively short time, and the sexes are found together usually within a 
week after the emergence of the first individuals. Within two weeks 
the egg punctures begin to appear here and there in the twigs. From 
this time on oviposition proceeds very rapidly, and thousands of individ- 
uals may often be noted working at the same time on the same tree. 
PLANTS SELECTED. 
The fact that the Cicada is not especially choice in its selection of 
trees in which to place its eggs is patent to any careful observer, 
although a preference is generally shown for oaks and hickories, and 
