Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-06-15
Ia, Tredium, Oh Septemdecim.

The Locusts--Cicada Tredium, Oh septemdecim.
The locuscs appear in Mississippi and sew
.ruj of the Northwestern States, ercJy thirteen
gsugs: hence the specific name have gwen
them: that is, in each locality they emerge
from the earth every thirteen yeGr-. There
are many districts Of them. la some they
aruear IN twelve years, in others, at other
wears. Last year they appeared in Missls-
sinoi west ot the dividing ridge: this year
east Of that ridge. The eggs deposited In the
branches of trees this year will hatch IN Jul
". The Young insects fall 10 the earth,
make their way into il, seek nOurlshment by
tanning up the moisture from the surface OF
the vegetable roots and from the earth, cause
particles Of earth to adhere around them by
a viscd humor they exude, and thus form
little cells in which they remain. As they
grow larger these cells are enlarged, but they
never leave them until the time arrives to
emerge ilum the earth. Externally, these
cells do not differ in appearance, from ordi-
nary lumrs OF earth; hence they are never
discovered unless some are broken open by
the spade that eXhulnes them, the plough
rarely going deep enough TO throw them up.
They undergo no changes during the thirteen
years, except u grow IN size. They never
descend deeper in the earth than the bottom
of the vegetable soil, where they may always
be found in the interval, by spading from
fifteen to twenty four inches deep, and care
fully breaking aud examining the Jumps OF
earth thrown up.
| mean of course in places under trees,
where they were II previous season. Zach
insect is in perfectly solitary state during
the whole of the thirteen or seventeen years.
There is never but one III each CELL and,
though the cells may he within an inch OF
each other there Is never any intercourse be-
tween them. They always emerge from the
earth at the same place they descended
About the lst of March of the year they
are to emerge they leave their cells full
grown, and begin To dig passage to the sur
face, packing the displaced earth behind or
below them, and extracting all nutritious
moisture from it, On arriving within halt
an inch Of the surface they form III arched
roof over the hole which is now six or eight
inches deep, 10 keep out surface water.
In this chamber, they remain until the day
and hour for final exit arrives, exactly thir-
teen years from the time their parents
emerged previously. They then, at the
first dawn of daylight, leave the earth, seek
the first object that offers, a post or fence,
tree or shrub, and, ascending Il foot or
TWO, cling closely to it, till the air dries their
shells which they then rupture ON the back
AT the shoulders of the wings, gradually draw
themselves out of it, cling 10 the old
shell till they have expanded, and dried
their wings, and, by the time the sun
has fairly risen and shed its rays fully
upon them, they are ready for flight
la few DAYS the males commence their pc
;ular music, and in few days more the te-
males commence the work of deposlting
their eggs III the branches and limbs of trees
and shrubbcry. In three or four days more
the males and females die. They do not all
leave the earth at the same time. If they
first emerge IN the 18th of April there will
bo an increased number every day till the
Odd of April, and then decline every day
till the 30th of April The reason there is
! such diversity of opinion about their period
! zeal appearance arises from the fact that
/ there are numerous families of them, each
/ occupying distinct district of country, and
each having its own years for emerging. |
/ have on my records some forty districts Il
| country occupied by them, each separate
( and distinct from all others, and some emerg-
/ ing at one time and some at another, so that
every year, except three they appear In some
Of them All the lOcusts south of Tennessee
and west of the middle of of Georgia are of
the thirteen years, and all north and east OF
/ that line, are If the seventeen years yarie-
ties. Respectfully, GIDEON Is. SMITH.