AFFECTION OF A FIELD-BUG. 81 



with them, generally on a twig or leaf. I noticed 

 that the little ones and their mother did not always 

 remain in the same place, and that as soon as the 

 mother began to move to another position, all the 

 little ones began to run after her, and stopped 

 whenever the mother halted. She used to take 

 them, as it were, for a walk from twig to twig, or 

 from one leaf to another, parading up and down 

 the branches of the tree, and she conducted them 

 wherever she pleased, just as a hen does her 

 chickens. It frequently afforded me great pleasure 

 to observe their movements. One day I cut a 

 young branch of the birch-tree inhabited by such 

 an insect family, and I immediately saw the 

 mother, apparently in great anxiety, begin to flap 

 her wings violently, but without attempting to fly 

 away, as though she would frighten away her 

 enemy. At another time she would have imme- 

 diately made her escape, thus plainly showing that 

 she remained only in order to defend her young 

 brood." 



As if to furnish an instance of precisely the 

 opposite import, the cruel and murderous father of 

 this interesting little family is one of the greatest 

 enemies the poor mother has to contend against. 



G 



