The freeman. (Fremont [Ohio]) 1849-1850, 1850-03-30
The Sounds of Insects.

sentative the hearth cricket for whose crink
ing chirp even are can scarcely challenge
much intrinsic merit, yet do we reward it as
song, and merry one; and why? because
the faggot always crackles, and the kettle
sings, if not in actual in imaginative one cho-
rus In like manner, the music of the cricket's
country cousin (of the field,) or that of the
grasshopper, though designated by some, of
more critical ear than pleasant temperament
ga dsagreeable crink," can never CRATE harsh
! ly upon either ear or heart which in them
selves are attuned to natures harmonies; for
to these, as it rises from the dewy ground, it
assumes the tone of an evening hymn of hap
piness, mingled in memory, if not in hearing.
with evening bells and the shouts of emanci-
pated village children. For the revival, doubt
less, of some such associate memories, even
the grave Spaniard is said to keep these in
sects after the manner of the birds of song;
and those that like it may do the same in Eng
land, Gilbert white assuring US, on trial of the
experiment, that the field cricket, while sup
piled with moist green leaves, will sing as
merrily in paper cage as in grassy field
To the man of transparent skin and Opaque
fancy-or no fancy at all-the hum of the
gnat is suggestive, we know, of nothing but
angry cheeks and swollen temples, with cor.
responding sounds of pshaws! and buffets;
but to those who are less outwardly but more
inwardly sensitive, the "horn' even of this in
sect blood hunter is not without its melody,
with sylvan accompaniments, such as the plow-
boys whistle "o'er the lea," and the gurgle of
pebbly brooks, red in the glowing sunset
When and wheresoever bee may happen to
fit, humming past us, be it even near an apia-
| A al hoIo0 Of HSp
mersmith, is one not borne at once upon her
musical wings to the side of some healthy hill !;
and does not one forthwith hear in concert of
the bleating of the fiocks the bursting of rip
ened furze pods, and the blithe carol of the
rising skylark? or, our thoughts of tinkling
cymbal, played by a rejoicing housewife
to celebrate and accompany the aerial march
of departed swarm. Thus sweet and inf
.nitely varied is the concert of concordant
sounds, all of the allegro character, which
may be assembled for the pleasing of the men,
tai ear, even by the simple and single, and
passing strains of the above and other insects
which make melody in their mirth; and then
how numerous are the corresponding images
glowing, smiling, dancing, waving glittering,
which are wont at their bidding to be con-
! iured up before the mental eye Glowing
embers smiling flowers, dancing leaves, waiv-
ing corn6elds, glittering waters, all intcrmin-
gled in haze of merry motion-an imaged
dance of life got ap within "the chamber of
the mind" at the stirring of, somtimes but a
note of natures loving music. But besides
the sensations of involuntary pleasure which
we have often owed, without knowing it, to
insect minstrelsy, it affords Though on this
subject few perhaps ever tllink) matter for
thought inquiry, concerning the way in which
( it is produced 1t is all of an instrumental
and not vocal character; and among the vari-
ed mechanisms of natural objects, the instru-
ments of sound furnished to insect musicians
are none of the least curious. That of the
celebrated cicada lthe classic Tyre player)- =
an insect rarely seen in England, but still COM
mon in the south Europe, as des-
cribed by Reamur, of a pair of drums fixed
one on each side the trunk; these are covered
on the exterior by two membraneous plates,
usually circular or oval; and beneath them is
a cavity, part of which seems to openinte the
belly. These drums form, however, but one
portion of a compound instrument; for besides
these there is attached to another drum-like
membrane in the interior a bundle of muscu-
lar strings; on pulling which. and letting them
go again, a sound can be produced even after
the animals death. For the issue of this
sound hole is expressly provided, like the
sound hole of violin; or the opening of the
human larynx The chirp of the cricket, both
of house and field, is said by Kirby to be pro-
duced by the friction of the bases of the teg-
nina or wing against each other at their
base; but these insects are also provided with
drums. In the large green field cricket this
drum is pescribed as round plate of trans
parent membrane tensely stretched, and sur
mounted by prominent edge, or nervure-
The instrument is to be found in that part of
the right wing-case which is folded horizont-
ally over the trunk, and is concealed under
the left, in which there is also strong circu-
lar nervure corresponding to the hoop of the
drum beneath. The quick motion with which
these nervures are rubbed together produc-
ing a vibration in the membrane is supposed
to augment the sound. What we call
familiarly the singing or chirping of grasshop-
pers and locusts, is oitwardly produced by the
application of the left shank to the thigh, rub
4 bing it snartly against the wing-c case, and al
terhating the right and left legs; but these, as
well as the cicada and the cricket. are provid-
ed with their petits tdnt5ourS,- rS,-membrane COW
cred drums, or cavities of somewhat varied
construction, to augment the sound of exte-
rior origin. Be it here observed, that, the
above-named professors of the jogeuse science
the cicada Tyre e-players-the crickets of our
field and household bands-the rowing grass
hopper tronbadours, are all, like the feathered
minstrels of grove and garden, of the mescu-
line SEX each doubtless playing his midday
sonata, or eveing serenade, with intent mainly
to tickle the ear and fancy of his listening la
4 dy. On the muteness Of the latter was found
ed sly joke on the Xantippes Of antiquity
which is equally applicable both to scolding
and to musical matrons of the present day
Happy" says Zenachus, the Rhodian,
Happy the cicadas' lives,
Since they all have noiseless wives.
Episode of Insect Life.