Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1913-08-14
The Ant and the Cicada.

In the sultry days OF midsummer the
shrilI, monotonous note OF the cicada,
with its gradual crescendo and diminuen-
do, breaks the stiffness of country lanes
and hillsideS. This is the insect that la
Fontaine made famous in in the we'll
known fable, la Cigale, which pictures
the shiftleSS Cicada as caught unprepared
by winter, and begging in vain for food
at the door OF the thrifty Ant. That the
cicada did not receive justice at the hands
OF the eminent fabuliSt has been proved
by ]. H. Fabre, the French naturalist,
who, in Social Life in the Insect World,
charges the ant herself with begging from
the cicada.
In July, during the sitting hours OF the
afternoon when the insects, frantic with
drought, wander hither and thither, vain
ly seeking 10 quench their thirst at the
faded, exhausted flowers, the cicada
makes light OF the general aridity.
Crouching, always singing, on the twig
Of a suitable shrub or bush, she perfor-
ateS the firm, glossy rind, distended by
the sap the sun has matured. Plunging
her proboscis into the bung-hole, she
drinks deliciouSly, abandoned to the
charms OF Sirup and song.
But there are many thirsty creatures
wandering about; and at last they dis
cover the cicada's private well, betrayed
by the oozing sap upon the brink. They
gather round it, at first with certain
amount of onstrant-waspS, flies, ear
wigs, sphinx moths, rose chafers, and
above all, ants.
The smallest, in order TO reach the well,
slip under the body OF the cicada, who
kindly raises herself on her claws, and
leaves room for the lmportunate TO pass.
The larger stamping with impatience,
quickly snatch mouthful, withdraw TO a
neighboring twig, and then return, this
time more enterprising. Envy grows
keener; those who but now were cau-
tiouS become turbulent and aggressive,
and would willingly drive from the spring
the Well-Sinker who caused il TO flow.
In this crowd OF brigandS the most ag-
gressive are the ants. They can be seen
nibbling the ends OF the cicada'S claws /;
tugging at her wings, climbing on her
back, tickling her antenae, and even Seiz-
ing her probosciS in an endeavor to ex-
tract if from the we'll Thus hustled by
these dwarfs, and at the end OF her pa
tience, the giantess finally abandonS the
well. She flies away, throwing jet OF
liquid over her tormentorS as she goes.
Reality completely reyerses the action
described by the fable. The shameless
beggar, who does NOT hesitate at theft, is
the Ant; the industrious worker, willingly
sharing her goods with the suffering, is
the Cicada. Yet another detail, and the
reversal the fable is further emphasized.
After five or six weeks OF gaiety, the
songstress falls from the tree, exhausted
by the fever OF life. The sun ShriVels
her body; the feet OF passers-by crush
it. A bandit, always in search of booty,
the ant discovers the remains. He di-
vides the rich find. dissects it, and cuts it
up into tiny fragments that go TO swell
his stock OF provisions II is not uncom-
mon to see dying cicada, whose wings
are still trembling in the dust. drawn and
quartered by gang of knockers. Her
body is black with them. After this in
stance the truth about the relations be-
tween the two insects is obvious.