inirposes o f othei-s. W e therefore peruse the following account o f an unknown species
o f Cicada with particular regret, because it withholds information interesting to the
naturalist, and from its air o f novelty is likely to promote an erroneous opinion concerning
that singular tribe o f insects.
“ The low and sometimes marshy country through which the river* passes, is favourable
to the production o f insects ; and many o f them were troublesome, some princ
ip a lly by their sting, and others by their constant stunning noise. The music emitted
by u species o f Cicada was not o f the vocal kind ; but produced by the motion o f two
Haps or lamellæ which cover the abdomen or belly o f the insect. It is tlie signal o f
invitation from the male o f th a t species to allure the female, which latter is quite unprovided
with these organs o f courtship.”/
Again, when describing a town higher up the river, that autlior says, “ The shops o f
Hai-tien, in addition to necessaries, abounded in toys and trifles, calculated to amuse
the rich and idle o f both sexes, even to cages containing insects, such as the noisy
Cicada, and a large species o f the Gryllus.” /
The reader may imagine from the first account, that the music o f every other species
o f Cicada is o f the vocal kind, or that it is peculiar to this Chinese insect to be furnished
with lamellæ that cause a sound. Th e latter account confirms sucli conjecture, by
a lluding in a specific manner to the noisy Cicada, as to an insect described in a former
liart o f tlie work. W e must remark, that not only the males o f the species mentioned
by that author are furnished with those lamellæ, but the whole o f that section o f the
Linnæan Cicadæ which Fabricius has called Tettigonia. Tbe males o f the species
included in the other sections o f that g enus are certainly furnished with them also ;
thougir some o f them are too minute to be observed without a gla ss. These lamellæ vary
in size in different sp e c ie s; but the accounts we have o f them from travellers in foreign
countries, and naturalists both ancient and modern, prove that they all emit a certain
sound to allure the female. A s we are unable to ascertain the Chinese species Sir
George mentions, neither figure nor description accompanying his account o f it, we must
therefore speak generally o f the whole genus, and then confine our remarks to those
species we are acquainted with from China. Among these are C. splcndidula, sanguinea,
and a tra ta . Tlie latter, we believe, is the largest species o f the Chinese Cicadæ known
in Europe.
* Pe i-h o .
t C h ap . 3 . Vol. I I . octavo.
X Ch ap . 4 . Vol. II,
Some species o f this tribe were known to the ancients. With them it w as the emblem
o f happiness and eternal y o u th ;* and i f we examine the legend s o f pagan mythology,
we find they were deemed a race o f creatures beloved by gods and men. The Athenians
wore golden Cicad® in their hair, to denote their national an tiq u ity ; or that like those
creatures they were the J ir s t born o f the e a r th ; and the poets feigned that they partook
o f the perfection o f their d e itie s-t Anacreon depictures in g lowin g colours the uninterrupted
felicity o f this creature : his ode to the Cicada is appropriate to our inquiry.J
In the infant state o f music, men seem to have preferred the natural sounds o f some
animals to those o f their uncouth instruments. W e cannot otherwise account for the
extravagant praise bestowed on the noise o f this little creature. It is true, authors agree
that the sounds o f some kinds are ex c eed in g loud and harmonious, and in the early ages
o f the world these might have a powerful influence on the human mind. It is related
that the ancient L o c ri, a p eop le o f Greece, were so charmed with the song o f the Cicada,
that th ey erected a statue to its honour.^
The ancients had attentively observed the manners o f its life, though they indulged
* P ro b a b ly be c ause it was supposed to live only a sh o rt time. T h e renewa l o f yo u th is illu stra ted by tlie
story o f th e T ith o n u s transformed b y Au ro ra into a Cic ada .
t T h e se p a g a n deities were w ith o u t flesh o r blood, a n d composed o f a e ria l a n d w a te ry h umours. Su ch
th e y imagined th e m oisture o f th e Cic ad a , a n d p e rh ap s for th a t reason first assigned it a pla c e am ong their
demi-gods.
: H ap p y c r e a tu r e ! w h a t below
C a n m ore h a p p y live th a n th o u ?
S e a ted on th y leafy th ro n e ,
(S um m e r weaves th e v e rd an t c rown,)
S ip p in g o ’e r th e p e a rly lawn
Th e f r a g ra n t n e c ta r o f th e daw n ;
L ittle ta le s th o n lov’s t to sing,
T a le s o f m irth— a n in se c t k in g :
T h in e th e tre a su re s o f th e field.
All th y own th e seasons yield ;
N a tu re p a in ts for th e e th e ye a r.
S o n g s te r to th e shephe rds d e a r :
In n o c en t, o f p la c id fame,
W h a t o f m an c a n b o a s t th e same ?
T h in e th e lavished voice o f p raise.
H a rb in g e r o f fruitful d ays ;
D a rlin g o f th e tun e fu l nine,
PhcBbus is th y sire divine ;
Phcebus to th y no te s h a s giv’n
Music from th e spheres o f h e av ’n :
Hap p y m o st, a s first o f e a rth .
All th y hours a re pea c e a n d m i r th ;
Ca re s n o r pains to th e e belong.
Th o u a lone a r t ever y o u n g ;
Th in e th e pu re im m o r ta l vein,
Blood n o r flesh th y life susta in ;
R ich in spirits—h e a lth th y feast,
T h o u ’r t a d em i-god a t least.
G r e e n s T ra n s . Ode 43.
^ Some s ay , th a t onc e a c e rta in p lay e r o f L o c r i, co n te s tin g in th e a r t o f music with a n o th e r, would have
lo s t th e v ic to ry , by tlie b re a k in g o f two strin g s o f his in strum en t, b u t a Cica d a flew to his a id , a n d re stin g on
th e b ro k en in s trum en t, su n g so well, th a t th e L ocrian was d e c la red victor. T h e L oc rians e re c ted a s ta tu e to
tlie C ic ad a as a te stim o n y o f the ir g ra titu d e . I t repre sented th e p lay e r with th e in se c t on his instrument.