Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-10-23
a v-.PTER ON "LocusTs."

Methods Of Making Music--Blrrowing n
the Ground-A Puzziing Question
There are several kinds of cicada about
including the seventeen-year and the
thirteen-year ''locusts," which are no
,ocusts at all. but real cicadas The one
that makes most of our summer music is
an annual visitor. They all live in the
grub state most of their lives, then come
out Of the ground, crawl up convenient
tree, fasten in their claws, rip open Their
skins along the back, and then, by
Ier1es of patient efforts, crawl out. OF
back out of the crack, perfect insects.
They have now long gauzy wings, wide
heads and handsome, large eyes. When
they first emerge their wings are folded
and wet Their first need is to dry of;
90 their wings are slowly unfolded and
famed gently against the air. Mean
while the juicy creature evaporates
good deal Of its bulk, and Is soon well
shaped for fight
In about one hour II is ready for fight,
and takes q perch higher among the
limbs, when the males begin at once to
strike their love notes The music is
made by the vibration Of chords in hol-
low In their sides, behind their wings
the vibration striking o tightly drawn
membrane above them. The rapid alter.
nation Of contracting and relaxing these
chords produces the noise which we call
buzz or whiz. The seventeen and thir-
peen year cicadas, or "locusts," come
out about month earlier, and their hab'
Its while outside, as true insects, are
about the same as those Of the annual
visitor. They eat and lay eggs for about
six weeks, and then die. The stridulat-
ing noises are not heard beyond August
have seen q whole handful Of the de-
serted cases or skins of the pupa lef'
sticking on the trees about our cottage.
It is curious how perfect they stand, and
yet how empty. Il is still more curiouI
TO observe the contrast between the sense
organs Of the perfect insect and those Of
the pup@. The latter has spent his life
under ground and is shaped for that sort
Of life, narrow head for pushing through
the dirt, sharp claws to dig with and nc
wings. He is peculiarly fitted with organs
10 secrete abundant moisture and to eI.
crete II, 30 that as he tunnels his burrows
are made waterproof with sticky excre'
ton. As his time for egress comes his
skin hardens and he can no longer freely
execute, 20 that the insect that is shaped
inside Is sappy, wet affair when It hrs'
emerges.
We can trace these changes In tne
lives Of creatures, but can we, after AL,
exria'r themi There are no mechanicai
Law mat can account for the transior-
nation from underground borrowers 70
big eyed, broad winged flying creatures
Still more impossible is IL to explain tne
law or instinct Of love that brings the
sexes together and begins another round
of existence. The mothei cicada lays
her eggs near the tips Of limbs of ash, or
hickory, or oak, or maple trees. In
about six weeks they hatch, and imme-
diately fall or jump to the ground and
beOin 10 burrpw. The seventeen year
sort burrows during all that number Of
wears and then comes out for It's brief
| Iife Of wings and love. But the annual
sort. OF course, only burrows for about
ten months or little more.
Iwkh you would explain 10 me how
thay ever learned 10 do this work. eithsr