APHIDiE — PLANT-LICE. 25 1 



Aphidse — Plant-lice. 



The Aphides are remarkable for secreting a sweet, viscid 

 fluid, known by the name of Honey-dew, the origin of which 

 has puzzled the world for ages. Pliny says "it is either a 

 certaine sweat of the skie, or some unctuous gellie proceed- 

 ing from the starres, or rather a liquid purged from the aire 

 when it purifyeth itself."^ 



Amyntas, in his Stations of Asia, quoted by Athenaeus, 

 gives a curious account of the manner of collecting this 

 article, which was supposed to be superior to the nectar of 

 the Bee, in various parts of the East, particularly in Syria. 

 In some cases they gathered the leaves of trees, chiefly of 

 the linden and oak, for on these the dew was most abund- 

 antly found,^ and pressed them together. Others allowed it 

 to drop from the leaves and harden into globules, which, 

 when desirous of using, they broke, and, having poured 

 water on them in wooden bowls, drank the mixture. In 

 the neighborhood of Mount Lebanon, Honey-dew was col- 

 lected plentifully several times in the year, being caught by 

 spreading skins under the trees, and shaking into them the 

 liquid from the leaves. The Dew was then poured into 

 vessels, and stored away for future use. On these occasions 

 the peasants used to exclaim, " Zeus has been raining 

 honey I'" 



In the Treasvrie of Avncient and Moderne Times, we 

 read : "Galen saith, that there fell such great quantity of this 

 Dew (in his time) in his Countrey of Pergamus, that the 

 Countrey people (greatly delighted therein) gave thankes 

 therefor to lupiter. JElianus writeth also that there fell 

 such plenty thereof in India, in the Region which is called 

 Frasia, and so moistened the Grasse, that the Sheepe, Kine, 

 and Goates feeding thereon, yeelded Milke sweete like Hony, 

 which was very pleasing to drinke. And when they used 

 that Milke in any disease, they needed not to put any Hony 

 therein, to the end it should not corrupt in the stomacke : 

 as it is appointed in Hecticke Feauers, Consumption, 



1 Nat. Hist., xi. 12. Holl. Trans., i. 315. E. 



2 Theoph. Hist. Plant., iii. 7, 6. Cf. Hes. 0pp. et Dies, 232, seq. and 

 Bacon, Spl. Sylvarum, 496. 



3 St. John's And. Greeks, ii. 299. 



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