New-York tribune., 1877-06-11


belongs to sub-order furnished with sharp
Jaws and magnificent digestion. But neither
the golden wheat nor the tail timothy nor
the waving oat offers a meal to the ccada.
His mouthpiece is proboscis, and he is
sucker; but, fortunately for the human race,
he has not tho bloOdthirsty disposition of
another insect somewhat similarly provided
and equally at home in New-Jersey.
Let US be Just to cicada septendeclm. His
life is romance. He finds himself ut
first consciousness an orphan, crawling on a
twig that he cannot eat, and perched high IN
air. He wants to reach the ground, but he
would starye on the journey if he attempted to
crawl down the tree If he were a measuring
worm he might spin a yaru and lower himself
by it. Wings have not yet been furnished to
him. With a faith in his destiny which is
positively sublime, the young cicada loosens
his hold, drops, and takes the chances. In
proportion to his SIZE the fall is as if a man
were to drop himself from balloon mile
and half high, without a parachute. II he
survives the fall and escapes the hungry bills
of birds, the youthful cicada bOres his way
downward into earth and begins his subterra-
mean residence. Admitting it as true that Gas
the scientific folk say our forefathers dwelt
in caves, we cannot afford to sneer at such
domicile. The next process after going below
il to find some root of a shrub or tree, to
stick the probOscis into it, and to suck the
iuices. Thereafter the ccada has permanent
board and lodging for seventeen years. How
few New-Yorkers could make similar boast
After a silence vastly longer than that which
Pythagoras imposed upon his pupils, the cicada
earns the right to make noise in the world,
and proceeds to do it. He is now IA CGlebs in
search of wife, First he comes to the sur
face and throws off his old clothes, appearing
i'm new suit which includes scrviceable wings.
There is w upon his wings. which has been
supposed to pOrtend War. That was great
mistake on the part of the seers who read the
sign. 1t is not a War that he seeks, but a Wed
ding He drums the wedding march, and seeks
his mate, who is similarly engaged III making
hymeneal music. The noise is Il trte mOnot-
Onous to human ears, but all demonstrations
of welded bliss are bore to non -particl-
pants Moralsts have long observed that per-
feet happiness is short; the experience OF the
male ccada is no exception to the rule. lie
violates the first principles of health by eating
little or nothirg. The consequences OF such
imprudence may be readily foreseen. The
bridegroom dies on his wedding day. The
widow wastes no time in funeral cere-
monies. She has to provide temporary
lodgings for her family, who will
never sec her. She spends the rest of her
short life in boring holes in twigs and small
branches, and depositng eggs therein. The
branches thus perforated are apt to break OFF,
and people who have valuable trees object to
this method of pruning. Sometimes 1t makes
considerable havoc, az for instance at Prospect
Park, Brooklyn, few years ago. where the
oak trees especially suffered, though none were
permanently injured After perusing the Gov
ernment statistics showing how many million
dollars worth was eaten up by the Western
grasshoppers, we should be able to contemplate
the performances of the Eastern cicada with
equanimity, and, if needtul, stuff cotton in our
ears. And there is comfort in the thought
that seventeen years may elapse before we
shall need to repeat the precaution.