l accomplishments during
this brief period of its life are known to all, but few have cared to
interest themselves in the early history of the singer, ere it perfected
its musical resources "for the delight of man." But the naturalist, and
especially the arboriculturist and fruit-grower, know to their cost of
other tricks of the cicada, or rather of Mrs. Cicada, immortalized by
Zenarchus the Rhodian as his "noiseless wife"--

"Happy the cicadas' lives,
Since they all have noiseless wives."

I have alluded to the egg of the cicada "inserted in the bark of a
twig." This act is accomplished by a knife-like ovipositor, which
literally gouges a deep gash into the tender wood of various twigs, a
number of the eggs being implanted in its depths, often causing the
death of the branch. Shortly after hatching, the young cicadas leap for
the ground, and burrowing beneath the surface, remain for a period
varying from three to seventeen years, according to the species, to
complete their transformations. Now the habits of my little tree-hopper
are somewhat modelled after its big cousin. Knowing that the little
insect was provided with a keen-edged ovipositor, and was in the habit
of thrusting its tiny eggs beneath the bark, and realizing, too, that
these strange tufts were of course in some way connected with the
maternal instinct, I was led to investigate. Selecting a branch where
the tufts and hoppers seemed most prolific, I brought my
magnifying-glass to bear upon them at a respectful distance. Was ever
actual thorn more motionless or non-committal than most of these?--their
under surfaces hugging close against the bark, their telltale feet
closely withdrawn, and all their pointed helmets inclined in the same
parallel direction. One after another of the sly little family was
examined without a revelation. Not until I had reached the upper limit
of the group did I get any encouragement. Here I discovered one of the
midgets in a new position, its pointed helmet inclined farther downward,
and its other extremity correspondingly raised, so that I could see
beneath its body. I now observed what at first appeared to be the hind
leg of the farther side of the body protruding beneath, but in another
moment noted my error, and saw that its sharp point had penetrated the
bark, into which it soon sank quite deeply, and I realized that the
ovipositor was now conducting its tiny eggs into the cambium layer of
the bark. Without waiting for th