Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1889-03-16

was the music Of The inaects-"tiny
loiterers Of q summers day." It Is O mis-
take to suppose the chief occupation of
these diIteras and hymenopteras Is eating
and wos ang-tt is making music. You
shouN 60 out In haying time and sit down
on . cock Of hay In the middle Of the day:
and then again In the evening, and you
VIII. It you give yourself to listening,
Y revealed to you q new world. No,
you must not bo thinking Of other things.
Close your eyes and lay your head back on
the sweet hay. Therel Are you not nor
conscious Of several stratas Of music,
reaching far up into the sky? The upper
air IL full OF bees-hornets In part. 1t may
be-and there are millions of them. Then
lower down are all sorts Of flies and work.
Ing bees. while In the trees and grass
there q fully as vast q number Of crickets,
katydids and other music makers. Now
you must open your ears es carefully a.
you close your eyes. and listen attentively;
Tor I assure you there are myriads Of
sounds close by you that you never heard.
10 1t not 90? You are surprised. Indeed,
We 1.-Two inside q big music boz; ard you
never knew It.
The fact 10 these musical notes blend
together about US in q vast harmony,
that lulls our sense Of hearing instead Of
q~uickening 1t. ! am sure our hearing
needs . great deal more education than It
generally gets. II you try you can sep.
asato the sounds that now you discover,
and pick out the different instruments In
tho orchestra. Plainly enough I was
right. that working and eating do not
predominate as employments Of the insect
world. Here is o cluster Of humble or
humble bees. bent on sport, as. you can
Zee. Files dance about In circles under
that apple limb, and are playing at some
game. quite like tag. There Is a very
soft and gentle murmu Of their wings,
hardly audible. They have no other
musical instruments, but I am quite sure
they enjoy not only the motion, but the
sound. Crckets. however, are real must
clans. using their wing covers as instru.
ments. When he wishes to pipe the
cricket raises these covers and moves
them together lngthwise, go that they
confess the music Is not sweet, but 1t is
better than a Scottish bagpipe or a hurd7
gurdy. But the fun Of . crickot's music
Is In Its element Of v~entriloquigm. i
should like to see you select one Of these
fellows just now aud go directly to him.
following up his music. You will go half
dozen ways before you End him. Nearly
Ill the insects have this power. and 1t Is
no doubt used i'll self protection.
The handsome green katydid plays an
instrument more like tho sheepskin drums
OF the Africans, or o primitive taboset.
In each wing cover there Is o triangular
space. owe which is situated O thin mem.
brane. Tho opening and shutting Of the
wing covers, more or less rapidly, pro-
duces the notes that sound like katy did.
Only once in awhile there Is as distinct q
katy didn't. Perhaps both are true.
Crckets and katydids Of both sexes are
:ausicians, and all night long are to be
heard calling and responding like the
shepherd boys Of eastern lands. The
cicadas are musical only In the male sex,
and that Is quite enough; fortf both sexea
could beat the kettle drums we should be
dinned deaf with tho noise. On their
other ind covering hollows. These arc
beaten with cords that relax and contract
q boys pull rubber bands in contact with
. resoundiag material. These fellows
keep 1t up all day, however. end as they
arc abundant there Ia no lacl OF theIr
music.
Ihave BY no means recounted ell the
musical instruments n can hear at mid.
day or It evenings in July Or August.
Many Of the tiny bugs have power TO
emit singing sounds. From the greatest
10 the least forms Of life there Is some
way Of expressing emotion. So like to
sit on these hilocks Of hay and listen
Just listen. It Is love that, after all, fills
nature and gives voice to 1t. Only when
love fails some harsh shriek indicates the
presence Of hate. Have I forgotten the
frog aud the tree toad7 BY no means;
and you need not recall them with q
sneer. A frog Is o gentleman every way.
end his music Is far from being despicable.
In early spring 1t is truly delightful to
hear the first cry from tho pools. It Is
thin and watery and full Of Inquiry. but
It means spring and green grass and
aowers.-Mary Z. Spencer IN Globe.
Democrat.