1871.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
307 
B©Yi§ k iHllL3 ; ®Q1,'UM\i:: . 
Insects as Musicians. 
Wo frequently heat people Bpeakof tlie singing of crick- 
eta and grassboppei These in jccts arc very noisy, it is 
true, lint they are not rocalists; (hey are instrumental 
performers. Ea< hot -hod with a sort of violin 
upon which it plays without any instruction. In the 
crickets, a portion or rib of each wins; is furnished with 
teeth, which Bervesae the how, and a hard, smooth rib 
answers for the si ings of the fiddle. The insect mbi 
one wing over the other, and then reverses the m 
ment, and by the scraping Of these two parts together 
the sound is produced. The grasshoppers manage some- 
what differently. The Ion*,' hind legs are the fiddle-bow 3. 
The inner surface of the broad upper part of these ' 
is furnished with over eighty small lancet-shaped elastic 
teeth, and these the insect scrapes against the sharp fibs 
upon the wing cover— or outer wing — first one and then 
the other. The loudest instrumental performer among 
our insects is the Katydid. In a still night the constant- 
ly repeated '" katy-did-she-di 1 " may he heard for the dis- 
tance of a quarter of a mile. The katydid produces its 
note by me an s of its wing?, which are peculiarly tilted 
for the purpose. In each wing-cover there is a little 
tambourine formed of a thin transparent membrane or 
skin, stretched in a strong, ha'f-oval frame. As the wing- 
covers arc opened and shut these little tambourines rub 
against one another, and produce the sound.-- which give 
the insect it* name. These notes are supposed to be use- 
ful to the insects in enabling them to find their mates. 
From the constancy with which some of them keep up 
the sounds, we think that they must be pleased with 
their own music. Boys just learning to whistle make a 
noise that, whatever it may be to others, seems very 
pleasing to themselves, and they keep it up for their own 
gnat ideation. It may be that insects do the same. 
Farmer or Doctor — WHioH? 
Sammic B. Wells, Jr., writes us the following: ''I 
take the American Agriculturist ', and as I see that you 
advise hoys, please give uie a little advice. Had I bettor 
be a doctor or a farmer ? My father wishes me to be a 
farmer, and my oldest brother, who is a doctor, wishes 
me to be a doctor. Which is the best business ? I think 
I prefer farming. Please* answer me in the nest Agri- 
culturist." Answer you— why, you have answered your- 
self. Your own preferences are in accordance with your 
father's wishes, and what can be better ? The only point 
to be answered is— which is the best business, that of 
the doctor or farmer? There is no doubt that a success- 
ful physician may accumulate money more rapidly than 
most farmers are able to, but bis is a hard life, and, as far 
as comfort goes, that of the farmer is much to be pre- 
ferred. But a small share of those who arc educated as 
physicians are successful. Their reward, when it comes, 
if it come at all, is only after a long struggle. Then no 
one should become a physician unless he fools a strong 
inclination towards the profession. It should not be 
taken upas a mere hneiness. With all respect to the 
"oldest brother," we say, if your inclinations are to bo a 
farmer, follow them. It is a calling in which you can 
invest all the talent you may possess, and be ot least sure 
of a good living, without the inconveniences that attend 
the physician's life. Of course, these remarks are made 
neral principles, and without knowing any thing of 
the persons. There are too many poor doctors, and not 
near enough good farmers, and wc always look upon it 
as a fortunate thing when a farmer's son himself desires 
to be a farmer. 
Aunt Sue"* ft>nzzle-Uo\. 
Now let us Bee 
"Judicious" (Jew dish us): and si 
what you will make out of the following: 
3. Man's boot. 
4. English nose 
5. Out in:- u, 
G, D 
1. Heavy barn. 
Savage woman. 
j. Flit given. 
10. Coward out, 
TRANSPOSITIONS. 
(Fill [he (tallowing blanks with the italicized words 
■ ■■■' d.) 
It. In some the girls scream o:\. 
1 ?. The wagon in which usually ha drives, is - 
13. Would it he far-fetched to call " coal ovens " / 
It. Annu- tolltd to give a true 
in. Shu was in some Under ties. 
H3. They between tm '■ and eel, 
17. She tfings Gus sky-high because of his 
18. That music from her cats? Lor! that is 
X 
o 
s 
sir 
T 
11 
P|E 
LI 
A 
E|N 
u 
z 
Z|U 
Clinton Ferguson. 
2. All alone upon the sea, 
Seldom any visit me, 
Yet thousands see mc every year, 
And many an anxious heart I cheer. Harris. 
Adolph M. Naoel sends the following 
0PP0SITE9, 
which promise considerable amusement in their solution. 
For those not familiar with this style of puzzle, let me 
give a hint or two. "Ntnke," might make a good op- 
posite for "Ocean" (Oshun): "Gentile cup thcrft"— 
RC ARTMUP- 
412. I'iudraied Rtbut. — Alasl too true. 
AJUAI 
413. Illustrated Bedus.— Good advice. 
9 AwhMMmei. 
NUMERICAL ENIGMA. 
20. I am composed of 64 letters : 
My 25, 2, 4, 12, 23, 21, 51, 59, 47, is a bad quality to 
have. 
My 19, 12, 13, 31 27, 13 24, 52, 58, 20, 62, 61, 7, 56, 2, 
, is a singer. 
My 1, 11. 19, 6, lu. 53, 23, is part of the robin. 
My 29, 83, 48, 21, 34, 01, was a musical composer. 
My 10, 60, 17, 64, 5, 46, is a joyous interjection. 
My 59, 61, 14, 3, 57, 44, 22, 3, 30. was a queen. 
My 50, U. 32, 11. 29, 13, H. is a plant. 
My 28, 19, I I, 26, is much used by upholsterers. 
My 39, 10, 6, ir a Scottish river. 
My 36, 33, 18, is described in Geneve. 
My 35, 54, 64, 15, 55, wrote an opera. 
My 14, 10, 13, 31, 0, is a planet. 
My whole ia a quotation from a " poenl of the period." 
Aunt Moll 
PI. 
21. Serpence fo dimn si cenrayses ta lal items. 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA. 
22. My first is in Christmas but not in May, 
My next is in sunshine but not in day, 
My third is in ocean but not in wave. 
My fourth is in tombstone but not. in grave. 
My fifth is in "coming" but not in "went," 
My sixth is in Easter but not in Lent. 
My whole is a Trojan ; tell his name. 
For many a schoolboy knows his fame. 
E. T. IevBSTKs, 
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN THE JUNE NUMBER. 
ANAGRAMS. 
1. Ribounds. 6. Doctrines. 
2. Domesticated. 7. Appliances. 
3. Foreheads. 8. Interwoven. 
4. Diagnosis. 9. Foregoing. 
5. Aboriginal. 10. Hereafter. 
WORDS ENIGMATICALLY EXPRESSED 
11. Witchcraft. 12. Hotel. 13. Father. 14. Seesaw 
15. Simpleton. 
MULTUM IN PARVO. 
16. Theirs: I, it, its, he, her. hers, his, their. 
diamond cross puzzle. New York. 
17. N 
EEL 
HEWER 
N E W Y O R K 
BROWN 
IRE 
K > 
18. Dandelion. 
19. Hope, fear, peace, and strife. 
Make up this tangled web of life. 
20. Take away the eight matches i < i 
corresponding with the 
dotted lines. [ ; _ : \ 
21. 281)90257(321. (Key. Peg, Tom I 
and I.) 
22. Wainscot. 23. Esophagus. 24. j : : "j 
Grandmother. 
410, He Bleeps well who has -■ : ; 
naught to gain or lose on the morrow. 
A rainbow at night is the sailor's delight, 
idrum.- \\ lial m i h :i In the i 
414. lUustrat ot Vo 
above picture doing ? 
diamond PUZZLE. 
19. 1. A close consonant. 2. A plural verb. 3. Part ol 
the human frame. I. To turn from the truth. 
An emigrant, o. Often a pitiable result. V. A 
passage. B. A mineral. 0. V liquid i » 
The perpendicular letters are the same as the 5th 
item. M. II. Clark. 
411. 
AUNT SUE'S NOTICES TO CORRESPONDKNT-. 
Arthur W. K. Did yon hope your answers would 
reach me "before the 1st of April," when you did not 
post them until the 31st of March ? 
Willie S. On*. Ve~. you were just half an hour " loo 
late." I would rather be an hour too toon than a minute 
too late, any time. 
S. L. D. The "inclosed" was forwarded "to the 
Publisher" as requested. 
Star and Crescent. You deserved " honorable men- 
tion" if you didn't get it. 
E. A. Swain. I wish all my nieces and nephew- con • 
see the arrangement of your answers : it was perfect. 
Addie L. P. I am very glad that " we "' enjoy Ibo 
puzzles, etc. 
J. U. Bird. Are you going so far away that the _ ! ■ 
cultumt cannot reach you? Good by. May Go 
with you upon the deep I 
Jennie Foster. You wiil soon "understand." if you 
examine the answers. 
Robbie. When you make a labyrinth you should 1 .- 
an entrance into every path. 
Nbalie C. I am glad you made a beginning 
"never tried before." 
Tbos. C. Coopbr {Santa Cruz, Ca?.) is much ii 
in natural history, and would like 
similar tastes, with a view to mutual im 
IIattii: E. Peck.— I have put thai lil 
with my treasures. 
Lillie Streepeu. Did you receive yonr package safe- 
ly • I directed it to " Newtown Sqnare.Detaware Co. . Pa. 
