The Natural History of This Little Insect Seems Highly to Deserve the Attention of the Curious
Moses Bartram on the Periodical Cicada
I am currently writing an extended meditation on the periodical cicadas and their historical and contemporary significances, among other things, which I hope to publish next week. Before doing so, however, I thought it would be nice to transcribe (with modernized ‘s’ but otherwise the original spelling and punctuation) and share this essay by the early modern American naturalist Moses Bartram (1732-1809), son of the more famous John Bartram. Moses Bartram observed the 1766 emergence of what is now known as Brood X, the periodical cicada brood now emergent here in the Mid-Atlantic and elsewhere. His observations and reflections on these marvelous creatures are a wonderful example of early modern natural history writing and provide a nice preface for my own forthcoming meditation on these insects and what they can tell us about ourselves, the nature of time and history, and perhaps the near future.
Observations on the cicada, or locust of America, which appears periodically once in 16 or 17 years. By Moses Bartram, 1766. Communicated by the ingenious Peter Collinson, Esq;
On the 8th of June , 1766, I took several twigs of different kinds of trees, on which I then saw cicada’s or locusts, darting (as it is called) to lay their eggs; of those twigs I put some in empty phials; some in phials, with a little water; and some I stuck in a pot of earth, which I kept moist, in order to preserve the twigs fresh.
July 21, the eggs in the twigs in the phial with water hatched, as did those in the twigs in the pot of earth, soon after the, but the twigs in the empty phial being withered, the eggs perished, yet I have observed that on twigs accidentally broken off in the woods, if they lie near the ground in the shade so as to be kept moist, the eggs in them will hatch in their due time; but in those that are exposed to the sun, they surely die.
The young locusts that were hatched in the twigs in the phial, ran down the twigs to the water, on which they floated about four and twenty hours, and then died; those that were hatched in the twigs in the pot of earth, ran down the twigs immediately to the earth, and entered it at the first opening they could find, which the searched for eagerly, as if already sensible of danger, by being exposed to the light of the sun.
I have observed that in the natural way the eggs are usually hatched in six weeks; but, if by the luxuriance of the growth of the shoots into which the eggs are darted, the rind of the tree closes and confines them, they willl in that situation remain several months, till by some lucky accident they are disengaged, and then they will hatch in a few minutes after, and seek their retreat in the earth, in the same manner as those hatched in the usual time. But many perish by being thus imprisoned.
Viewed through a microscope the moment they are hatched, they appear in every respect as perfect as at the tine of their last transformation, when they rise out of the earth, put off their scaly covering, expand their wings, display their gaudy colours, dart forth their eggs, and after a few days existence, to fulfil the wise purposes of their maker, close the period of their lives by an early death. How astonishing therefore and inscrutable is the design of providence in the production of this insect, that is brought into life, according to our apprehension, only to sink into the depths of the earth, there to remain in darkness, till the appointed time comes when it ascends again into light by a wonderful resurrection! The means by which they are enabled to continue their species, is no less singular than their manner of existence. The females are furnished with a bearded dart, with which they pierce the tender shoots of all trees they happen to light upon, without regard to situation or species; many therefore perish by the quick growth of the trees in which the eggs are darted; and more perhaps by being laid in twigs that hang over streams or standing waters. The dart by which the operation is perfored, consists of three parts; a middle, and two sides: The middle is hollow, through which the eggs are darted, and the two sides serve for a covering to defend it. These may easily be taken apart, by slipping the middle through the grooves of the two sides, and it is by slipping the two outside parts by each other rapidly, that they work a kind of slant hole in the soft twig they make choice of, till they reach the pith, and then they eject their eggs into it to the number of twelve; when this is performed, they begin another hole close by the side of the former, and so continue to work till they have carried along two rows, each row consisting of twelve or more holes. They then remove to another twig, and proceed as before; and so from twig to twig till they have exhausted their store, after which they soon expire.
I have not yet been able to discover the full depth to which these little animals descend. Some, I have heard, have been found thirty feet deep. I myself have seen them ten.
They do not, however, seem to travel any great distance horizontally; for they are seldom found far from the woods, unless in grounds that have been newly cleared. It often, however, happens that in the long period of their torpid state, great tracts of coutnry are cleared in North America from trees, and converted into arable or pasture;l hence it is no unusual thing to see them leave their cells in those plain grounds, and hasten to some adjoining fence and put off their incumbrace, and prepare themselves for flight. This they do always in the night, by crawling to some tree, along a fence, or among bushes or strong grafts; and it is remarkable, that they differ in this from every other insect in its chrysilis state; for instead of being wrapped in a plain covering, which confines the inhabitant to a certain spot tilll it bursts, they have a covering fitted to their form, in which they can travel to a considerable distance; and which they cannot leave till they find some solid substance, in which they fix their claws, and then, with an effort which requires the utmost exertion of their strength, they burst their case, which always opens from the shoulders to the forepart of the head, out of which they crawl, leaving it sticking fast behind. Thousands of their cases may be seen in a morning, sticking to alll parts of trees, which being hardened in the sun, have a scaly-like substance, which not being flexible after it is dry, often so incumbers them before they can oput it off, that many perish in the attempt. For this reason, they always chuse the night for this operation; and wait for the enlivening influence of the warm sun to strengthen and give confidence to their wings, which at first are white, soft, and moist, but soon asssume a dark brown colour, which a firmness that enables them to fly, and a transparency that adds a beauty to their appearance which before was wanting.
It is remarkable, that in every state of this insect’s existence, it is eagerly pursued for food by others. In the very egg, it is the prey or anys and birds of every kind; in that of the grub, by hogs, dogs, and all carniverous animals that can unearth it; and in its most perfect state, not only by many kinds of beasts and birds, but even by men, many of the Indians, it is said, feeding sumptuously upon them.
Soon after they arrive at their last state of transformation, they seek mates to enable them to continue their species; and in this too, they are very singular; the female, as has been observed, is furnished with a dart, the shaft of which, takes its rise below the middle of the insect; on the contrart, the male projects his dart from behind, and fixes it near the shaft of that of the female, where it remains for many hours together, during which time, they are not to be separated without laceration.
During the season of copulation, from sun-rise to sun-set, the noise they make is so loud and perpetual, that little else can be heard in the woods where they abound; and it is doubtful, whether, during this season, or indeed during their whole time of existence in this state, they eat any thing, or subsist by sipping the dew, for which purpose they seem to be furnished with a long tube, extending from their heads flat to their breast, and terminating between their legs, without the power of altering its position. Other than this tube they seem to have none for the purpose of subsistence. In short, the natural history of this little insect, seems highly to deserve the attention of the curious.
M. BARTRAM