Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1896-03-21
ONE OF NATURES onnIr,ns,
The Hug that Waits Seventeen Years
for Its Transformation.


The late l.. l.. Langstroth when
boy was a close observer Of insect life.
Once he was whipped for wearing
holes in his trousers by too much
kneeling on the ground TO observe
ants. Between the ages OF eight ana
twelve he made thorough study OF
cicadas, including the ''seventeen-year-
locusts,r as they appeared in Center
Square, Philadelphia. This Is his ac-
count OF them:
.srhe larvae of these insects come
out Of the ground late In the afternoon
and | noticed that the holes ont OF
which they crept We're almost as
smoothly bored as though made with
an augur. AS soon as an insect
emerged Ii made for a tree or some
other object. Ii suddenly approached
while in the act OF mounting. II would
often drop to the ground as II dead.
After fastening It's sharp claws into
some chosen surface. IL remains mo-
tionless for short time. When first
leaving it's hole the body III the larvae
feels quite hard but soon becomes sort
as dough. Then It can no longer crawl,
and IL prevented. before becoming
helpless, from getting u firm hold ON
some object, il could not emerge from
its shell; but, fastened firmly by the
claws, 1t soon begins alternately 10
contract and expand its body, until
what al first resembles "A little crack
on its back opens wider and wider. dis
closing more OF the emerging insect,
At last 1t raises it's head and the lower
part of It's body from the shell. then
the legs, and rests ae while until It's
claws become strong enough To enable
Ii to climb out altogether and cling to
the rough surface of the tree. It's
wings. which are narrow and thick,
now thin out gradually. like n piece OF
dough over which a roller IL contintl-
ally passing. Reaching their full ex'
pansion. they remain tiattened until
quite dry. when suddenly they assume
the position for flight.
AS the transition from hard 10 soft
conditions IL very short, II II obvious
that the holes In the ground from
which they emerge. often bored
through hard ground. must he made u
considerable time before they are re-
! quired, TO enable the insect to push
quickly through the little space that Is
needed to let IL out when its instincts
, teach II that the time is at hand for Us
coming changes
.The locust lives only short time a.
a flying insect. when the female bores
holes into the extremities OF small
twigs In which she inserts her eggs
, The larvae. when Matched. feed upon
the twigs until the latter wither and
fall to the ground. When the young
cicadas penetrate the earth TO reach
the roots of trees. by sucking the Juices
OF which. with their sharp. hollow pro,
boscis as was discovered not many
! years ago by distinguished LADY, the
/, species live for seventeen years"
Returning TO Philadelphia In his Tor.
tieth year. Mr.. Langsttoth. II being IL.
Gust year collected larvae from trees
In Independence Square aud sat NJ
until midnight with HIS daughter and
some school companions to show then
the curious changes Just described: hut
from boyish recollection he could have
described them almost as wildly and
accurately before as after the later oI.
| servations. Country Gentleman.