State on the morning of the 9th:—Low pressures over northern China and over Korea, The typhoon is crossing Hainan, recurving northeastward. Winds from the southern quadrant along the eastern China Coast and at sea. Overcast and rainy weather around Shantung: fine over our regions, over the Eastern Sea and around Formosa, State on the morning of the 10th:—Low area over north-eastern China. Low pressures over tern China, The typhoon, over stung, is filling up.
bilities, 430 p.m, yesterday:—Cloudy te overcast weather with southerly: winds around Shantung. Overcast to cloudy, possible thundery, rains and south-easterly to south-westerly winds over our regions. Fine to cloudy and southeasterly/ to south-westerly breezes. over the Eastern Sea and Formosa. The typhoon is apparently. filling up over the continent.—Siccawei. Obserfatory. not begin their love-song till the temperature is sufficiently high to stimulate into activity whatever gland secretion or hormone it is that rouses their passions. Hence their ap) is not noticed till the first really hot day of the summer, which, as previously noted, very-frequently is July 4, The same sequence of events probably takes place in connection with the other species of cicada found in this area, but on different series of dates, rather earlier than those on which the black cicadas appear. Before leaving the subject of cicadas, or scissor-grinders, as they are also called, a few words may be said as to how these insects make the extraordinary noise for which they are famous. In the males, on the under-side of the body, are two cavities, or chambers, side by side. These are covered by two large or plates called "opercula," Inside each of these chambers is a "timbal" or drum, which is a circular or oval membrane stretched taut. This membrane can be vibrated by muscles attached' to its edge, and, when so vibrated, it emits a sound, which, apparently, is reflected from another larger circular membrane called the "mirror" and so is somewhat intensified, The cavities in which these organs are found and the plates or opercula covering them no doubt act as sounding-boxes and sounding-boards respectively, which further increase the sound so-that it issues from the insect in considerable volume. It may be suggested that in this marvellous apparatus of the cicada, Nature anticipated the microphones of the telephone, the phonograph and the dictaphone: by a hundred million years or so, for the cicadas belong to. an extremely ancient order of insects, and wi have no reason to suppose, that developed their vocal powers at Een period in their history—a, DE c. s,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.