OCR Text |
Show INSECTS THAT ARE MUSICAL. All Aro Tenors JInJes Aro Alwuyi the Muslclnnri Divided in I Two Sections. Musical liiBeetH of the winded tyiM) may he divided into tv groups: (1) Those which do not use (heir wingH and (U) tluim which do, for the production of" Hound. Of the two, the latter npe rluB is by far the more numerous A very curioim fact Is (hut all lu si-pts nre tenors, deep b.-tHrt volcei. being quite unknown; in udJit.oii to tills, thc'tuah'H nre alwnya the performerB, female Insects being dumb contenting themselves with stoppiirg at home nnd look Ing after tho children instead of -Btnndiiig nt the front door singing like their lords and masters, snys the Scientifle American. Many insectH sing by day, such, for Instance, ns the chickadee, which, however, nre not of the "vl olinlst" type, ns they piny upon a aeries of hnrd plates attached to the abdomen, much In the snme way ns n Spanish dancer uses the castanets. Another Insect of this typo is the Julnrk field cricket, which hns its home in n small, cavelike dwelling It prepares in the earth. Other Insects only sing by niglil such, for Instance, as the domes tic nnd tree cricketH, whose regti lnr modulated notes are known to every one. The apparatus used i thcac Insects exactly resembles p violin, the nhdomen being partial ly endowed with small bridgcllkt edges or ridges, against which tin wings are rubbed, thus producing the strident note characteristic of the insect. Other Insects, such as loeust nnd their kin, have veritable bows covered with fine ridges and nt Inched to the wings by two hut ton-like growths. Others lmvf cavities covered over with a fine membrane which serve the oftlce of resonators; in almost nil in sects of this type there is n parch ment like part of the abdomen which acts as n kind of soundi'g board. Strange to say, many of these harmonious insects are de prived of hearing. Criekets, how ?ver, nre an exception, ns thej have- sharp ears and rense tliei-vocal tliei-vocal efforts nt the sound of np pronching footsteps. Some in sects, nlthough apparently de prived of any meons for the pro duetion of sound, nre none the less capable of innkirig a noise in the world. A notnbU' instance o' this is to be found in n locust re jo'cing in the euphonious name of Mlorocentrnm tetinervis, which produces a short, monotonous note like two pieces of inetnl or llinf rubbed together. So far the field of Insect voices has not been widely explored. It would be Interesting to stud; them from the point of, view of tnusieal notation, and also to de termlne whether their song alters in any way nccord'ng to the season, sea-son, hour of the day, age of the in sect - nnd meteorological condi tiona. 1 |