Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-07-20
ONCE MORE THE LOCUST
The Seventeen-Year Visitor Has Many
Odd Ways of Coming Into the
World.

o0lu why's III SJOIuluS 1htO II0
World.
4 GAIN the seventeen-year locust IL
~ upon US, in the West and Middle
West. With all the regularity OF
the seasons he has made his appear
ance on time. In the East they are
having respite from the locusts, for
strangely enough, the years Of their
appearance do not coincide with those
West of the Alleghanies. Out In York
State, 1882 was the last date Of ap-
pearance of the locusts swarrns SO
that they should not appear until
three hence.
In May or June one begins to note
the locusts more by their great buzz
zing than anything else. The buzzing
sets the farmer looking and what he
will find Is a black-bodied creature
perhaps an inch in length. and all
most completely covered under Its
transparent wings. Under the trees
the ground is full Of holes, whence
have come the locusts. On the trees
themselves are untold white objects
pale and wingless with cowls and robes
cast off on emerging from their cells
These are the genuine cicades or the
seventeen-year locusts. They differ
from the real locusts in that the lat-
! ter have the mouth part formed for
biting. while these cicades have por-
lions of the mouth grown together in
sort of a tube, by means Of which they
can suck the Juice of plants.
Seventeen years ago, authorities
state, the mother ctcadas cut slit
or cavity in the beech-twig with her
I 81
In Six weeks there Matched pale.
lively creature, looking like a white
ant, and with two fore-legs shaped
like a Holsters claw, and instead Of
jaw fitted with long, hollow
beak. This insect ran about the limb
4 awhile. finally retiring to the under
side and dropping off. Then 1t crept
Into some handy crevice in the earth.
excavating for itself the way. by means
of its shovel-like fore-feet. Coming
to some juicy rootlet from heritage
above, from which the sap could be
drawn, it wove protective cell about
itself, one side of this being the handy
root.
Eating little, growing slowly, for
about year there was no change in
our friend. Then he shed his first
skin and grew rapidly, seeking an
other root meanwhile, when the first
one had become exhausted.
/, Six times in the course of seven-
4 teen years he changed his garments.
j always when the old one became too
}. small for use.
Then at last he worked his way
n upward. this at the beginning OF the
sixteenth summer. The job was a diff
Q 1cult one, for perhaps as much as two
: feet of earth lay above him. In the
: course Of perhaps a few weeks 1t was
accomplished, and he reached the sur
= face. If his body was not yet ready
- for this high life, he built an earth
9 work about him and in top of this he
IL stayed until one day he felt ready to
s. burst out and work his way to tree.
up which to climb.
Il Arrived at great height, the cicada
takes to the under side of a twig, be
q ing held on by six claws. He is quiet
a few minutes, and then the skeleton
- skin cracks down the back, and the
~ locust, pure white save for two BLACK
spots upon the back appears The
- wings, which at first were mere pad
;, upon the back begin to grow, until
covering the entire body, like those O.
the miller butterfly" but traced with
d heavy white veins. These he stretche,
= to strengthen. Then he flies to an
20 other tree, and resting there, resem
- bles some white blossom.
In the first night, then, his bod!
y changes to brown, with striped or
% ange. and the wings take on a grass,
- shade.
. Then the days Of the locust are q
hand. Out in the fields you hear then
proclafming their ascension by tn
millions. The drumming, done b
:, means of muscles on the side, vibrat
~ ing the head of drum located benin
10 each hind wing, the head Of the drur
AZ serving likewise as sort of sounding
~ board. Only the male locusts, how
u ever posses this musical instrument
= it's purpose being to attract the Il
males.
~ Occasionally, in autumn, then tn
"a drums burst on the male from pun
ny ecstacy and then the locusts die. Ths
II time of the year, too, the females hay
ing laid their eggs, expire. as If of Of
age.
er. ~