The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-07-03
LOCUST LEARNING.
Curious Information About the
Cicada Septendecim.
An Interesting and Instructive Chapter OF
the Dreaded Locust, Furnished by the
Entomologist of the Agricult-
ural Bureau.

Prof. Riley, Entomologist of the Ma
tional Bureau of Agriculture, recently
prepared bulletin on the Periodical
'Cicada." The following extracts from
the advance proof-sheets of the inter-
-esting pamphlet are taken from Wash
ington special to the Cleveland Plain
Dealer:
The metamorphoses of insects, their
Instructive industry, Their quarrels and
their instincts afford abundant food for
our love of the marvellous; but few
species can claim such a singular his
tory as can our periodical cicada- We
are moved to admiration in contem-
plating the fact that an insect, after liv-
ing for nearly seventeen years in the
bowels of the earth, should at last
ascend from its earthly retreat, change
its sluggish. creeping and wingiess form,
and, endowed with the power of flight.
become a deniZen of the air and enjoy
the full glory of the sun. But our Won
der increases when we reflect that this
same insect has appeared in some part
or other of the United States at regular
Sntervals of seventeen years for cent
uries. aye. for ages, in the past! Long
ere Columbus trod American soil this
lowly insect must have appeared regu-
larly at its appointed time. 1t must
have filed the woods with its rafting
song when none but wild beasts and
.ayages were present to hear it. To
me there is something pleasant in the
idea that through its parIodicity we are
enabled with tolerable certainty to 90
back, in thought, for centuries in the
past, to particular month of particu-
lar year, or even to a given day. when
the woods resounded with its song. in
the same manner as they did in 1868, or
will the present year.
1T was nv good fortune to discover
that besides the seyenteen-year broodS.
the appearance of one of which was re-
corded IS long as 1858, there are also
thirteen-year broodS; and that, though
both sometimes occur in the same
States, vet in general terms the seven
teen-year broodS may be said to belong
to the Northern and the thirteen. wear
ing line being about latitude IS degrees.
though in some places the seventeen
year broods extend below this line, while
in Illinois the thirteen-year broods run
up considerably beyond it
1T so happened that one of the largest
seyenteen-year broodS, together with
one of the largest thirteen-year broods.
appeared simultaneously in the summer
of 1868. Such an event so far as re-
CARDS these two particular broods. had
not taken place since the year 16i7.
nor will it take place again till the year
2OS9.
There are absolutely no perceptible
specific differences between the seven
teen-year and the thirteen-year broods,
other than in the time of maturing; but
while the insects forming these two
Glasses of broods are not specifically
distinct they are good and distinct
races which do not cross. and l have
therefore, for convenience sake. named
the thirteen-year broods cicada ire
decim.
ut is not a little singular. also. that
two distinct forms occur in both races
q large one and a small one-the former
by far more numerous than the latter.
This fact has been observed in pas,
years, ald was noticed in 1868 by inde-
pendent observers in different parts OF
the country. Indeed. il was observed
BY DR. Hildreth. of Marietta, O., rs far
back as 1880. The true c;cada septen-
decim of Linn9us occurs in the greatest
numbers. both in seventeen and thir-
teen-year broods. 1t will measure, on
an average, one and one-half inches
from the head to the tip of the closed
wings, and almost always expands over
three inches. The whole under SIDE OF
the abdomen is of dull orange-brown
color, and. in the male, more especially.
four or five of the segments are edged
with the same color on the back.
The other form is not, ON an average,
much more than two-thirds as large.
and usually lacks entirely the dull
orange abdomina ii marks, though there