96 IRambles wttb mature Students 



probosces into the stems to obtain the sap on 

 which they feed. The larvae eject a quantity of 

 white frothy matter, in which they live and by 

 which they are protected, until they become chrysa- 

 lides, and eventually emerge as brown frog-hoppers. 



These creatures are closely related to the Aphides 

 or green flies, and belong to the same order ; only 

 an aphis has four transparent wings, and these 

 lively hoppers have the upper pair of wings opaque 

 and hard, more resembling a beetle than a fly. 



There are other branches of this family, such 

 as the cuckoo-fly, which preys upon the succulent 

 shoots of the hop-bine, the green frog-fly, which 

 injures the potato, and many other species. They 

 may all well be called pests, since they tend to 

 mar the growing crops by sucking the juices of 

 the plants, and from their activity and minute size 

 are extremely difficult to exterminate, 



