The sound is produced by the extremity of the abdomen, which gently rises and falls, rubbing, as it does so, with its last few segments, the hinder edge of the wing-covers, which are held firm and motionless. There is no special equipment on the rubbing surface nor on the surface rubbed. The magnifying-glass looks in vain for the fine striations usually found in the musical instruments of the insect world. All is smooth on either hand. How then is the sound engendered?
Rub the end of the moistened finger on a strip of glass, or a window-pane, and you will obtain a very audible sound, somewhat analogous to that emitted by the chafer. Better still, use a scrap of indiarubber to rub the glass with, and you will reproduce with some fidelity the sound in question. If the proper rhythm is observed the imitation is so successful that one might well be deceived by it.
In the musical apparatus of the Pine-chafer the pad of the finger-tip and the scrap of indiarubber are represented by the soft abdomen of the insect, and the glass is represented by the blade of the wing-cover, which forms a thin, rigid plate, easily set in vibration. The sound-mechanism of the Pine-chafer is thus of the very simplest description.
INDEX
A
Acorn-Weevil, see Elephant-Beetle
Ameles, see Mantis, the Grey
Anacreon, on the Cigale, [9]
Ant, fable of the Cigale and the, [1-16]
Devours the Cigale, [9]
Robs the Cigale, [8]
Arum, Serpent or Putrid, the, attracts and captures insects by means
of its offensive effluvia, [230-2]
B
Balaninus, see Elephant-Beetle
Bean, ancestry of, [258-9]
Bean, see Haricot
Bean-Weevil, see Weevil
Bees, victims of Philanthus, see latter
Bembex, [168], [172]
Bolboceras Gallicus, [217-37]
Appearance of, [223]
Habits and diet, [226030]
Lodging of, [225]
Bruchus pisi, see Pea-Weevil
Bruchus lenti, see Lentil-Weevil
Buprestes, [21]
C
Cacan, the, [36-9]
Capricornis, [21-2]
Cerceris, [172], [178]
Chrysomela, [151], [172]
Cigale, the, [1-67]
Burrow of the, [17-30]
Deafness of the, [41-3]
Diet, [7]
Eggs of the, [45-67]
Eggs, hatching of, [61-7]
Eggs, method of laying, [50-4]
Enemies of the, [47-50]
Excavation, method of, [23-7]
Fable of Ant and, [1-16]
Larva of the, [17-30]
Larva, habits of, [61-7]
Mechanism of sound, [31-4]
Pupa, emergence from, [28]
Song of the, [2], [6], [31-44]
Species of, [31-6]
Cigalo e la Fournigo (Provençal poem), [10-16]
Cricket, Field, the, [120-9]
Eggs of, [120-2]
Excavations of, [124-5]
Fertility of, [123]
Song of, [126-8]
Cricket, Italian, the, [130-5]
Appearance of, [130]
Song of, [131-4]
D
Dermestes, victims of arum, [232]
Dioscorides on the Cigale, [29]
Diptera, [168], [172]
Dog, its love of stenches, [233]
Scent of the, [220-22]
A truffle-hunter, [218-20]
E
Elephant-Beetle (Balaninus or Acorn-Weevil), [238-57]
Boring acorns, habit of, [240-4]
Eggs, method of laying, [245], [245-7]
Motives in boring, [246-50]
Snout of, [238-9]
Emperor Moth, see Great Peacock Moth
Empusa pauperata, see Mantis
Eucores, [176]
G
Golden Gardener, the, [102-19]
Cannibal habits of, [111-19]
Courtship of, [103-10]
Ferocity of, [101-4], [108-10]
Nutriment of, [102-10]
Vermin killer, as a, [107]
Grandville, illustrates La Fontaine's fables, [2]
H
Halictus, [176], [178]
Haricot bean, the, [282-9]
Haricot-Weevil, the, see Weevil
Heredia, J. M. de, [287-90]
Hydnocystus, a fungus, [228]
Hymenoptera, habits of, [137-8], [150], [162], [171-2], [175-6]
L
La Fontaine, fable of the Cigale and the Ant, [3]
Locust, Grey, the, [300-16]
Larva of, [300]
Metamorphosis of, [300-9]
Wing, formation of, [309-15]
M
Mantis, the Empusa pauperata, [97]
Mantis, the Grey, [96]
Mantis, the Praying, [68-101]
Cannibalism of, [82-5]
Courtship, [79-83]
Hunter, as, [68-78]
Nest of, [86-101]
Melolontha fullo, see Pine-chafer
Minotaur, [225]
O
Oak Eggar, the, [202-16], [234-7]
Experiments as to sense of smell in males, [208-15]
Swarming of males during the mating season, [204-15]
Odynerus, [150-1], [172]
Osmia tricornis, [173], [175]
P
Pea, ancestry of the, [258-9]
Pea-Weevil, see Weevil
Peacock Moth, the Great, [179-201], [234-7]
Appearance of, [179]
Experiments as to sense of smell in males, [184-97]
Invasion of house by males, [180-1]
Swarming of males, [181-3]
Peacock Moth, the Lesser, [197-201]
Phalangist, the, [225]
Philanthus aviporus, [150-178]
Cocoon of, [168]
Diet of, [150-1]
Larvæ of, [168]
Methods of killing and robbing bees, [151-160]
Motives of robbery, [163-78]
Nest of, [167]
Philanthus coronatus, [178]
Philanthus raptor, [178]
Pine-chafer, the, [317-23]
Appearance of, [320]
Cry of, [322-3]
Habits of, [321]
Medical qualities of, supposed, [318-19]
Name, origin of Latin, [317-18]
Pliny, on the Pine-chafer, [318-19]
S
Saprinidæ, victims of arum, [233]
Sapromyzon, the, [222]
Scarabæus, see Golden Scarabæus
Scent in Insects, see Peacock Moth,
Oak Eggar, Bolboceras Gallicus, arum, putrid
Scolia, [171]
Sisyphus, legend of, [139]
Sisyphus Beetle, the, [136-49]
Burrow of, [143]
Larva of, [147-9]
Mating of, [142-3]
Paternal instinct of [142-6]
Pellet of, [142-9]
T
Tachytus, [172]
Tigno, nest of Mantis, [99-101]
Truffle-Beetle, [222]
Truffle-Dog, [218-20]
W
Weevil, Acorn, see Elephant-Beetle
Weevil, the Lentil, [291]
Weevil, the Haricot, [282-94]
Habits of, [291-6]
Invasion of, [284]
Larvæ, [297-9]
Weevil, the Pea, [258-81], [295]
Description of, [261]
Enemy, its chief, [280-1]
Habits, [261-5]
(Deductions to be drawn from), [273-4]
Larvæ of, [268-71], [275-6]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Whether the Cigale is absolutely deaf or not, it is certain that one Cigale would be able to perceive another's cry. The vibrations of the male Cigale's cry would cause a resonance, a vibration, in the body cavities of other male Cigales, and to a lesser extent in the smaller cavities in the bodies of the females. Other sounds would cause a slight shock, if loud enough, but not a perceptible vibration May not this vibration—felt as in a cathedral we feel the vibrations of the organ-pipes in the bones of the chest and head or on the covers of the hymn-book in our hands—serve to keep the insects together, and enable the females to keep within sight of the males? The sight of an insect is in one sense poor—it consists of a kind of mosaic picture, and for one insect to distinguish another clearly the distance between them must not be very great. Certain gregarious birds and fish whose colouring is protective have a habit of showing their white bellies as they swerve on changing their direction. These signals help to keep the flock together. The white scut of the rabbit and of certain deer is a signal for other deer or rabbits to follow a frightened flock. It is obviously to the advantage of the Cigale to follow a gregarious habit, if only for purposes of propagation, for this would be facilitated by the sexes keeping together, and, deaf or otherwise, the vibrations of its cry would enable it to do so. It would be easy to show a priori that the perception of such vibrations must cause the insect pleasure, as they stimulate a nervous structure attuned to the perception or capable of the production of certain complex vibrations. The discord of the cry is caused by the fact that it consists of a number of vibrations of different pitch. Some would set the contents of the male resonating cavities in vibration; others would affect the less regular cavities in the thorax of the female. We might compare the Cigale's cry to a sheep-bell. That it is felt and not heard explains its loudness and its grating quality. A Cigale with the resonating cavities destroyed would possibly be lost. The experiment is worth trying.—[Trans.]
[2] It is not easy to understand why the Mantis should paralyse the cricket with terror while the latter will immediately escape when threatened by other enemies. As many species of Mantis exactly mimic sticks and leaves when motionless for purposes of defence, is it not possible that they mimic their surroundings for purposes of offence as well? It is easy and natural to say that the Mantis presents a terrifying aspect. It does to us, by association; but how can we say that it represents anything of the sort to the probably hypnotic or automatic consciousness of the cricket? What does it really represent, as seen from below? A twig, terminating in a bud, with two branching twigs growing from it, and a harmless nondescript fly or butterfly perched on the back of it. The combination of a familiar sight and a threatening sound would very plausibly result in cautious immobility. As for its instantaneous assumption of the pose, to move instantaneously is the next best thing to not moving at all. It is less likely to startle than a slow movement. Twigs which have been bent get suddenly released in the natural course of events; they do not move slowly. The instantaneous appearance of a twig where no twig was before may possibly give the victim pause; it may halt out of caution, not out of terror.—[Trans.]
[3] The word "butterfly" is here used, as is the French papillon, as a general term for all Lepidoptera; the insect in question is of course a moth.