Charles Darwin, citing reports of cicada mating habits in
southern Brazil, cast the moment of congress in a more romantic light in
"The Descent of Man":
"As there is so much rivalry between the males, it is probable that the
females not only discover them by the sounds emitted, but that, like
female birds, they are excited or allured by the male with the most
attractive voice."
Many observers have found something profound to mull over in the life
and times of the 17-year cicada. One Web diarist sees the seasons of her
own life in cicada terms. "Seventeen years is a significant stretch of
time," she writes on her site, called Jabberwocky, which does not give
her name. "It is almost the measure of a generation. Tab and I could
practically mark our lives by visits of the 17-year cicadas: first as
children ourselves, then again as lovers, and next as parents..."
