APPLE LEAVES, PLANT-LOUSE ITS NUMBERS. 49 



as to cause death in a delicate person of irritable habits. But 

 such instances must be extremely rare. The insect has been freely 

 handled, times without number, by different persons, without its 

 manifesting any malevolence or disposition to injure, and to se- 

 cure a concert of their shrill notes, boys have been known sport- 

 ively to imprison numbers of them in the crowns of their hats, 

 without harm. Upon this subject R. W. Kennicott writes me as 

 follows: " I consider the common idea that Cicadas can produce 

 death by stinging to be highly preposterous. If it were so, I 

 fancy I ought myself to be about a dozen corpses at this time, for 

 I have handled hundreds of them in such a manner as gave them 

 a fair chance to try their stinging powers on me, had they been 

 possessed of such. I observed that when I 'pulled them off from 

 a branch, while in the act of depositing eggs therein, they would 

 often continue instinctively to work the ovipositing apparatus 

 for some time; and should any one's hand or finger happen to 

 be in the way at this time, it would be very apt to get severely 

 pricked, such is the sharpness of the instrument." 



AFFECTING THE LEAVES. 



Small green lice without wings, accompanied by a few black and green 

 ones having wings, all crowded together in vast numbers upon the 

 green tips of the twigs and under sides of the leaves, sucking their 

 juices. 



The Apple Plant-louse. Aphis Mali, Fabricius. 



The Apple Leap-louse. Aphis JIalifoliee. 



These insects pertain to the Order Homoptera and the Family 

 Aphidje. The Genus Aphis is at once distinguished from all other 

 insects by having its fore wings with one longitudinal vein, the 

 rib- vein, from which branches three oblique veins, the last or 

 outermost one of which is twice forked. The insects of this 

 family, and of the closely allied family Coccid^ or Bark-lice are 

 among the greatest pests which the fruit grower and the gardener 

 have to encounter. Th%y are astonishingly prolific; and every 

 kind of tree, shrub and herb, it is probable, has a species of louse 

 infesting it, whilst many have two, three or more, each part of 

 thi tree having its peculiar species. Thus upon the apple tree, 



[Assem. No. 215.] 4 



