Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898)

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Cicāda

（τέττιξ). A species of insect, frequently mentioned by the classical writers. It is originally a caterpillar, then a chrysalis, and is converted into a fly late in the spring. Its song is much louder and shriller than that of the grasshopper. The ancient writers, and especially the poets, praise the sweetness of their song; and Plutarch says they were sacred to the Muses. According to Aelian, only the male cicada sings, and that in the hottest weather. This is confirmed by the discoveries of modern naturalists. The cicada is extremely common in the south of Italy. It is found also in the United States, being called in some parts “the harvest-fly,” and in others, very erroneously, “the locust.”