745 
No. 145.] 
It is possible that in 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 are 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 its colors,&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 Shrubs between West Troy and Cohoes, 
which were covered with these insects at that date, 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 in our country several species of the largo 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 
appoars annually in most parts of the State in autumn. The Creviced cicada, (C. rimosa — 
Say,) and also the Bordered cicada, (C. marginata —Sav,) occur also within our bounds. 
Farther south the species become more numerous. Among a number of those sent mo by Mr. 
Robertson from tho Creek Indian territory, the following do not appear to have been hitherto 
described. 
The Sui*erb Cicada ( C. superba ) is of a rich olive green color, having a black band between 
the eyes, and six black spots upon tho anterior margin of the middle segment of the thorax. 
The abdomen above is olive-yellow, with two mealy-white spots at the base. Tho under side 
is whitish-yellow, coated over with a mealy-white powder. The wings are clear and glassy, 
the apical row of colls of the fore wings and the hind margin slightly smoky; tho veins are 
bright green, except those surrounding the apical row of cells, which are dark brown, and tho 
two short afiastamosing outer veinlets are margined with smoky-brown, forming the usual 
dusky W-shapcd mark. This species measures an inch and three-fourths to tho tips of the 
closed wings. It ocourrod 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 trees the cicadas, of which there were 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. 
Robertson’s Cicada, (C. Robertsonii.)— Green, variegated with brown and black; upper 
side of the abdomen black and shining, with two yellowish spots near the base; middle 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-hyalino, their veins slender, green, becoming light 
yellow at their apices; rib of tho 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. 
