CHAPTER XVIII 



ANTS AND MITES 



Most of the ordinary forest trees — lime, beech, ash, 

 sycamore, and oak — are remarkable for the curious little 

 hairy pockets which are to be found generally at the 

 forkings of the veins on the under surface. 



There is a great deal of variety in the different leaves 

 even of the same tree ; in some the tuft of hairs is very 

 conspicuous, and in others it will be scarcely visible 

 at all. 



It is interesting to stir up these little pockets with a 

 pin whilst watching them through a strong lens, for then 

 the horrible little mites which reside there come scurry- 

 ing out of their caverns and run about wildly. The 

 colour of these mites varies, for there are many distinct 

 kinds ; but as a rule it seems to be usually the same as 

 that of the hairs which mark their dwelling-place. 



The structure of a comfortable residence in the 

 occupation of a thriving mite-family is not very easy to 

 follow without very careful dissection, but one might say 

 roughly that it is a winding cavern improvised between 

 the fork of two veins and extending some way back 

 into the tissue of the leaf. The narrow entrance is 

 marked by the fringe of hairs already mentioned. 



These mites are said to wander about over the leaf 

 at night feeding on fungus spores, bacteria, and the like, 

 and they certainly retreat into their little caverns during 

 the heat of the day (see p. 193). 



As a rule every vein-fork possesses a few hairs and a 

 sort of fold or hollow, but those which are seats of the 



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