The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-07-26
Seyenteen-Year Visitors.


New Jersey people are not usually
lacking in hospitality, but they do not
view their present guests with kindly
feeling. Even the titles of these red-eyed
visitors are not fairly accorded to them
instead of their classical name cicada, the
erroneous one of locust is inflicted upon
them. The cicada couldn't be more un-
lucky in the matter of getting bad
name if he were Spitz. There are thou
sands of Jerseymen who firmly believe
that the insect who is drumming mo-
notonous tune in the tree tops is near
relative to the longlegged hopper that
has travelled from the Rocky Mountains
to the Mississippi. Now, whether the
grasshopper of the West is or is not the
locust, may be debatable question, with
the weight of evidence in the affirmative;
but that the cicada is not locust is
q fact not open to question at all. The
hopper belongs to sub-order furnished
with sharp jaws and magnificent diges-
ton. But neither the golden wheat nor
the tall timothy nor the waving oat offers
meal to the cicada. His mouthpiece is
a proboscis, and he is sucker; but, fortu-
nately for the human race, he has not the
bloodthirsty disposition of another insect
somewhat similarly provided and equally
at home in New Jersey.
Let US be just to cicada septendecim.
His life is romance. He finds himself
at first consciousness an orphan, crawling
on q twig that he cannot eat, and perched
high in air. He wants to reach the
ground, but he would starve on the jour
ney if he attempted to crawl down the
tree. If he were measuring worm he
might spin yarn and lower himself by
it. Wings have not yet been furnished to
him. With 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 a balloon a mile and half high,
without parachute. If he survives the
fall and escapes the hungry bills of birds,
the youthful cicada bores his way down.
ward into earth and begins his subterra-
mean residence. Admitting it as true that
(as the scientific folk say our forefathers
dwelt in caves, we cannot afford to sneer
at such a domicile. The next process
after going below is to find some root of
q shrub or tree, to stick the proboscis into
it, and to suck the juices. Thereafter the
cicada has permanent board and lodging
for seventeen years. How few New
Workers could make similar boast
After silence vastly longer than that
which Pythagoras imposed upon his pu-
pills, the cicada earns the right to make a
noise in the world, and proceeds to do it.
He is now a Celebs in search Of q wife.
First he comes to the surface and throws of
his old clothes, appearing in a new suit
which includes serviceable wings. There
is w upon his wings, which has been
supposed to portend War. That was a
great mistake on the part of the seers
who read the sign. 1t is not War
that heseeks, but Wedding. He drums
the wedding march, and seeks his mate,
who is similarly engaged in making hy-
meneal music. The noise is trifle monot-
onous to human ears, but all demonstra-
tons of welded bliss are bore to nom
participants. Moralists have long OBJ
served that perfect happiness is short; the
experience of the male cicada is no ex-
ception to the rule. He violates the frs.
principles of health by eating little or
nothing. The consequences of such i'm
prudence 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
zee her. She spends the rest of her short
life in boring holes in twigs and small
branches, and depositing eggs therein
The branches thus perforated are apt tc
break of. and people who have valuable
trees object to this method of pruning
9ometimes it makes considerable havoc
= for instance at Prospect Park, Brooklyn
: few years ago, where the oak trees
especially suffered, though none were
pernapently injured. After perusing the
Govrnment statistics, showing how many
Iillioa dollars' worth were eaten up by
t. Western grasshopPsrs, We should b,
ah1e 90 c0etempla&e the performances o.
~ Tas6srn cicsda with equanimity, and
z nssafhl, stuff cotton In our ears. And
800 = ecmlogt il ths thought thaf seven