The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-18
SEVENTFES- YEAR LOCUSTS.
Onondaga Indians Again INDUCING In Their
Favorite Dish of Upland shrimp.

SEPENThEfs YEAR LOCUSIS
Onondaga Indians A gain INDUCING in Their
Favorite Dish of Upland shrimp.
From "a. Svracu', Post. Standard.
Whether the seventeen yea locust" tCicddd
spptpndeciml actually hibernates in the ground
for seventeen years before reappearing again
in the treetops to mange and torture the
peaceful summer air with its stridulous call
has been n mooted question. Frequently
quoted authorities on the subject say 1t is
supposed" to do SO. The people out in Onon-
daga Valley say they know it. Seventeen years
ago this very summer. as tho memory of every
inhabant old enough at that time to remem-
Der anything doth attest. the trees about the
valley were full Of the noisy creatures visitors,
unaccustomed to the noise OF the locust. could
not sleep o nights. and for one happy summer
the songbirds. chickens and Onondaga Indians
lived like gourmands.
Every summer at the valley has seen tow
struggling locusts OF this variety. but this sum-
mer. seventeen years from their last previous
appearance in hordes. the cicadas arc present
again By the million. The trunk Of every tree
whose bark is rough. its bare branches as high
as the eye can distinguish. every bush and
shrub that lines the highways and rail fences.
tn" fences themselves and the walls OF build
lngs. even the very grass In tho meadows-ail
are decorated with the empty, beetle shaped
husks from which the locusts have emerged.
the newly reincarn1ted ccadas all in white dry
ing their tabby wings, and the adult ms Gets
In black and green with little red beadlike.
eyes hddiing away as il the perpetuation OF
made. Indeed the proposition Is not improb-
able. for the strdept. rasping noise the locust
maEeS Is ReieVed by many VINO nave watched
or the call OF the insect to its mate.
representative of the Post. Standard went
bug hunting in the cicada district yesterday.
and saw more seventeen-year locusts in
two hours than en- expert accountant could
blocks Of fifty. Along the publ roads on both
sides OF the valley the empty shells from which
sands. cinging with skeleton feet to the bark OF
trees and other rough objects. Further south
in the bottom landsIot onondaga Greek. ncart the
Onondaga Reservation. they are more numer-
GUS. The ground is fairly honeycombed with
the holes which they have burrowcd in coming
to the surface. The grass OF the meadows
bends beneath the weight Of three or four OF
The huge insects hall as large as hnm G
carded pupa shells form a heap around the
base Of every tree.
In some orchards it would DO difficult to
the bark Of any tree that had not not already been
their feet at every step numbers Of he pupie
that had not yet made their way 10 the surface;
them. as well rs the trees and grass above
| ground.
baskets gather tho pupa as they emerge from
the ground. In this stage. and lust before
TRANSFORMATION INTO tn6 insect stage, tnP Clnh-
diameter as lead nencI They look triiie
like an 9chrc , bum olebee without
they are soft and Sy easily efushed but the QUIT
side shell hardens after the cicada has emerged.
eaten Ivy many Of the Indians, who esteem
them great dei%acy In Grcnarq9tion for the
grease and crsped like a doughnut In an in
slant The Exporter didn't eat any. but could
| than RhrlmDS n
which, are recognized dclicacies;
An Indian said The Great Sririt lived on To-;
them as a heaven; sent deiicacy., This pos
sibly. may be = tradition Of the aborGines or
who have heard in, SUNDAY school about John
the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey. The
fritters. bnt thought II might be good.
=, when the rupa Of the ccada emergea from
perhaps because the dew attracts It to the Sur
face, it immediately looks ABOUT for something
t" climb. appearing TO have as strong pro;
clivitius in that direction as the average small
. boy Its ambition seems to be to elm b as high
as ossibe before IT'S back splits open, for all
the worlt Ike the seat of Juvemile trousers IN;
Tursts. climbing stops. some of the rppa'
u little way NJ the trunk, while others still
have only tmo to hurry half way up Il dandc-
When the cicada feels his coat beginning to
rip he plants his front CLAWS firmly and resign :
himseir 70 tn" iurvltahlr. With acut. as clean as
she'll srlitS open. and from it at length emerscs
an insect nearly twice as long as, the discarded
ease. As il leaves the. pupa the cIcada is a
| creamy white, except for its littlo red, bead
like eyes. It's wings are draggled and ii can
| scarcely crawl. But n few hours in the morn
ing sun work wonderful transformation.
The body OF the insect becomes shining
! black tho wings become Transparent. except
for ribs of bright green. The red eyes retain
| their color. After one hour OF sunshine the
crada is ready TO fly up into the tree tops and
commence Kidding.
The farmers at the valley say they have not
yet observed any damage done by the loousts
Seventeen years ago they stripped many trees
OF their foliage and will probably do 30 this
year. rs they seem far more numerous than
| seventeen years ago An authority on locusts
SAYS; " Ccada scptendecim. tho North Ameri-
can scventeen-year locust or harvest fly. is
said to appear in special abundance every
seventeen wears. though they probably APP
penr in some parts OF the country every
and die, early The females deposit 800
| eggs each on the twigs Of trees and die imme-
| diately after this has been ACCOMPLISHED. The
| larvR drop and bore their way into the ground
! whore they are supposed to remain for seven
| teen years. sucking the juices OF the roots OF
| trees and plants. Dur ng that period the
| larvR grubs are transformed into pupG or
| beetles. and at it's end they emerge to the
| surface Tor tho final transformation into in
| sects The noise they make Is created by rub
| hing together the joints Of the thorax."