Amulets of this subject were placed in the mouth of the deceased presumably to insure immortality. The larva passes the first four years of its life underground, and then comes out in the form of a mobile pupa, slits down the back, and emerges as a perfect insect. This rising, as it were, from the grave, was noticed by the ancient Chinese, who saw in the cicada an emblem of immortality and resurrection.

~ see introduction ~