The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-08-26

not do so we'll If the limbs were large. by
grasping firmly with their claws, they are able
to make great pressure upon the point OF the
ovipositor, and thus effect their object.
From the 1st to the Goth of June, al shrub
berry of value should be protected, either by
carefully covering it with cheap gauze, or in
case of pot plants, by keeping them in. the
house.
About the 18th of July the eggs will be
ready to hatch Then take a little limb con
tanning them, cut carefully till you expose the
eggs, and take them out, and place them in
the palm of the hand, and they will hatch in
a few minutes. The little insect frees himself
from the egg shell precisely in the same way
the large one did in the spring, by rupturing
the shell on his back. AT soon as he is fairly
out Of the shell he starts aff briskly in search
of food. Let him get to the ground and you
will see him work his way into it follow him /,
and you will see him attach himself to the ten
der roots of grass and other vegetables, and
commence taking up the liquid exudation
from the surface with his little rostrum or
snout, These observations can only be made
with good magnifying glass. By the aid of
the glass you will see the young insect has ev-
cry feature and member precisely the same as
the large one had when he came from the
ground in the spring. By carefully watching.
you will see the young insect come out of the
ground. You can sometimes see great num-
bers falling from high trees. They are like
little notes in the air and require sharp sight
to see them. They are so small, and their ap-
parenk specific gravity so inferior, that they
are not injured by the fall.
The locusts do not go deep in the ground.
They live upon the vegetable juices of the
roots near the surface, which they take with
their snouts or rostrum. There are three
small hairs in the snout, which, in feeding, are
projected aud spread out over the surface of
the root or leaves of trees, and these collect
the juice and convey it by capillary to the
stomach. You can see this operation very
distinctly in the perfect insect by watching it
with magnifying glass. They have no
mouth or means of taking food either in the
larva or winged state.
The ovipositor is a most curious instrument.
1t is about three-eights of an inch long, Of
the size ofa small pin, hatened at the point,
and the whole forming a moderate curve. 1t
is composed of three pieces, center piece.
The center piece or tube has very sharp
chisel formed point. with two sharp project
ing points, one above the other below the or
ifce, resembling fishes mouth. The two
pieces supplied with saw teeth on their
edges, and their fat faces are rasps. They
are attached TO the center piece by tongue
and groove In use the center piece is fixed
firmly to the bark, and the two side pieces,
commence working up and down, first one
and the other, alternatively, and thus the ex-
cavation is made All this, however, can
only be seen by the aid of a powerful masni-
flying glass. On looking at the instrument
with the naked eye no such mechanism would
be suspected.
The musical organs are very curious, and
difficult to describe. Directly under the shoul-
der of the wing each side of the chest
there is a beautiful membrane, somewhat tri-
angular, convex, and ribbed with honey ridges.
The membrane resembles a small shell, and is
stretched over cavity in the chest, the lower
angle connected internally with strong mus
Gle. On the breast there are two large scales,
one on each side, firmly attached to the breast
above, but free below. On bending the body
backwards, the scales are elevated and expose
two large cavities, also covered with extremely
fine and silk-like membranes. These cavities
are connected with those under the musical
membranes under the wing shoulders, and
probably serve for lungs. When these cavi-
ties are filled with air. the musical organs or
membranes Grst described, are made TO pro-
bony ridges of the membranes being made to
act upon each other with such rapdity that
the motion is scarcely perceptible.
The music, song, or sound, produced by the
myriads of insects In warm dry day from
about the 25th of May to the middle Of June,
is wonderful. 1t is not deaferiug, as many
describe it, even at its height it does not ia
terrupt ordinary conversation. 1t seems like
an atmosphere of Wild monotonous sound, in
which all sounds float with perfect distinct
ness. L lever could distinguish anything like
the word 'Phdroah,' in these sounds. After
you have become satisfied with the novelty of
this music, which will be in day or two, it
becomes exceedingly tiresome and doleul, and
to many disagreeable. To me it was other
wise, and when 1 heard the last note on the
z5th of June, the melancholy reflection oc-
curred-shall live to hear it again?
Probable the first Indication many persons
will have of the approach of the locusts, will
be the industry with which they will find
the hogs roofing up the ground in April, in
the woods and fields. 1t is a great festival
for them. And as soon as the insecta appear
above ground, chickens, turkeys and all poGl-
try will also have their feast. So fond are
the fowls, birds, pigs ETC., of these insects,
that they will scarcely touch other food dur
ing the locust season. This has remarkab
effect on all hens eggs laid after the locusts
yolks are nearly white. The
chickens become very fat, and of fine flavor.
Even the little wren will be seen flying off
with locust in its mouth, and all the insee-
tivorous birds then have great festival
In conclusion, people ought not to be
alarmed The w on it's wings does not indi-
cate war, nor the Z England. The Sting of
the locust never killed anybody for the best
of all reasons because it it has none. The
insect has neither means Of offense nor defense,
and all the stories that are told of children
being killed by their sting or bite are fabu-
lods. IF death ever was produced, or any less
injury, when locusts were present, some other
cause effected it.
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