female Cigale finds a place which has been already taken she flies away
and seeks another twig directly she discovers her mistake.

The gravid female always retains an upright position at this time, as
indeed she does at other times. She is so absorbed in her task that she
may readily be watched, even through a magnifying glass. The ovipositor,
which is about four-tenths of an inch in length, is plunged obliquely
and up to the hilt into the twig. So perfect is the tool that the
operation is by no means troublesome. We see the Cigale tremble
slightly, dilating and contracting the extremity of the abdomen in
frequent palpitations. This is all that can be seen. The boring
instrument, consisting of a double saw, alternately rises and sinks in
the rind of the twig with a gentle, almost imperceptible movement.
Nothing in particular occurs during the process of laying the eggs. The
insect is motionless, and hardly ten minutes elapse between the first
cut of the ovipositor and the filling of the egg-chamber with eggs.

The ovipositor is then withdrawn with methodical deliberation, in order
that it may not be strained or bent. The egg-chamber closes of its own
accord as the woody fibres which have been displaced return to their
position, and the Cigale climbs a little higher, moving upwards in a
straight line, by about the length of its ovipositor. It then makes
another puncture and a fresh chamber for another ten or twelve eggs. In
this way it scales the twig from bottom to top.

These facts being understood, we are able to explain the remarkable
arrangement of the eggs. The openings in the rind of the twig are
practically equidistant, since each time the Cigale moves upward it is
by a given length, namely, that of the ovipositor. Very rapid in flight,
she is a very idle walker. At the most you may see her, on the living