Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-08-07
THE SEVENTEEN YEAR LOCUSTS

This is the year for the appearance Of
| the famous Seventeen Fear locusts in this
| district, and immense numbers have al
ready emerged from their underground
slortranmatiou place. 1t is ono Of our
most interesting insects, and excites curl.
| osity, wherever il is seen.
There is no fact better established than
that it occurs only, in general, every se>
renteen years, and hence its popular name;
its scientific cognomen is cicula septcnde.
cam. 1t has no affinity with the "locust"
of Scripture, thai destructive animal being
a grasshopper.
The development of this species of
cicata has been carefully observed through.
all its various stages and it requires that
period Of time to undergo its lransforma-
ton, and thus requires longer time to
come to maturity, than any other insect
known. There is some reason to believe,
that in the South, below SO degrees of
latitude, the cieada appears every thirteen
years, but this point has not yet been sat.
islactorily settled.
1t ls Indigenous to this country, and oc-
ours nowhere else in the world.
The bead is furnished with a snout,
which forms a sheath for three small hairs,
which are very fine and flexible, by means
of which the insect, both in the crysalis.
and perfect state, takes up fluid nutritious
matter from the surface of vegetable sub
stances, and from the soil or earth. This
rostrum, or beak, when not in use, lies flat
Oh the breast, but is extended perpendicu-
larly, when feeding. 1t is incapable of
penetrating any substance, and hence could
not injure any person, and the same is true
! of tho instrument at the other end of the
body of the female, as shall hereafter be
shown. =. =.
The ovioositor, the instrument with
which the female deposits her eggs, and
with which she perforates the young limbs
and twigs of trees and shrubs, and some
times even hard wood, is singularly con-
structed. 1t is about sths of an inch
long-the size of a small pin, Aattened
and somewhat spear-shaped at the point.
1t is attached to the under side of the body,
and, when not in use, is nicely concealed
in deep fissure, that extends to the ex-
tremity of the body. 1t is composed of
three pieces, connected together at the
sides by very beautiful tongue and groove
work, by means of which tho two side
pieces play up and down upon the centre
piece, which is the ovipositor 1t is ex-
tremely flexible, but, if bent too far, will
break. The edges of the points or spear
portions of the side pieces are serrated, and
thus fern sa,os, while tho fattened sur
faces are cut in the manner and supply the
place of 'usps. The centre piece is a
tube, with two sharp protecting points
above and below the orifces. The eggs
are laid in the twigs Of trees. after the fol-
lowing fashion:
The females select the green living limbs
of trees aud shrubs, Of about the size of
their own bodies They take every kind
of trees except the pine and other tere-
binthinate species, and it matters not how
hard the wood. Having selected the twie,
the insect raises her body considerably,
extends the ovipositor, and presses itspoint
against the bark, piercing it with the point
of the centro piece. This puncture is large
enough to admit the point Of one Of the
side pieces, or saws, which is Immediately
thrust in, and regular, duick saving op-
eratiou is commcnced,, until the incisiou
is large enough to admit the other side
piece, which also begins to saw, the !contre
piece remaining fixed, and serving rs
gride. As soon as the blade part of the.
instradn ent il fairly inserted, ,.say the l2lh
part Of I'D ipcb in lsugsh, the insect presses
upon the end Of il attached 10 her body.
and thus by the action Of lever raises
the ends of the divided fbres of The wood.
After considerable very cuIiYus work,
which yop.have not room for me to specify,
che reinsefts the inasrument to the fulr
length and deposits t~o1 eggs from the
osiduct or centre piece. -st,e then with
draws i,,-"ad ags'n :mmediately ireinserts
it, deposi'ihg two more eggs. Thus she
proceeds uutif she has sdeposited, kpm tel,
to twenty. Tie eggs are uniformly Sc. IN
[two rows, close together. E,llesa sr;twen-
W excavations Of. tho same kind, are. made
on Che same iiaab, sand. each, fsmalaAy.
from four hundred to Eve ,hai.dred. eega
These mustard;seedeshaped, eggs require
over fifty days for, Matching, and aboab
that time there comes opt Of each little
worm with six legs, sueas :slsws aud;
feeiers. It must take food, but xhsrs viii
the, infant worm fnd,ssa smsls NOT up.
on ths tree! aud,its peit,es isaaot shsre.t to
! tell it what 70 do. Sic died long ago,