WING OF THE FROG-HOPPER. 54.1 



ground, and another takes its place. If the froth be put aside 

 the larva will be discovered in its midst — a little, soft, white 

 • creature, with tiny black eyes that form a cui'ious contrast to 

 the general white hue of the body. 



In the perfect state all these insects jump with gi-eat agility, 

 and in this movement their hind legs are almost exclusively 

 employed. The commonest of all the species, Aphrophora 

 spjumaria, or the Common Frog-hopper, can jump to a won- 

 derful distance, even unaided by its wings. Indeed, the ordinary 

 leap of the Frog-hopper is about equal to that of a man who 

 could jump four hundred yards without even taking a run. In 

 making this astonishing leap, the insect is aided by some sharp 

 spikes or spines upon the ends of the tibiae, which enable the 

 limb to take a firm hold of the ground. 



Perhaps the actual damage done by the Frog-hopper is not 

 so great as is imagined. A tree contains a vast amount of sap, 

 and none of our British Homoptera possess the wonderful 

 distilling power of a Madagascar species {Aphrophora Goudotii), 

 which has been found capable of pouring out a considerable 

 amount of clear and apparently pure water in the very middle 

 of the day, the sap appearing simply to run through the insect 

 as through a tube. The generic name, Aphrophora, which has 

 been given to this and many allied insects, is formed from two 

 Greek words, literally signifying ' foam-bearing.' 



To the unassisted eye, the common Frog-hopper is about 

 as inconspicuous and commonplace an insect as can be found 

 anywhere. The magnifying-giass, however, alters the whole 

 aspect of the creature, and an ordinary pocket-lens will show 

 that the upper wings are covered with tiny projections, giving 

 them an appearance very much like that of shagreen. 



If, however, one of these upper wings, or elytra, if they may 

 be so called, be detached from the insect, and viewed through a 

 moderately powerful microscope — an ordinary half-inch object- 

 glass being employed — the simple, uninteresting object starts 

 into sudden beauty. The groundwork of the wing is seen to be 

 composed of a membranous network, much like that of the 

 wings of the dragon-fly, and upon it are innumerable round 

 eye-like spots, arranged in irregular transverse rows. These 

 spots are of uniform size, and consist of a dark centre sur- 

 rounded by a white transparent line, each spot being separated 



