10 



terioi- end of the body, forcing bubbles of air into it after it has been 

 used in respiration, probably. Fig. 2 shows a portion of a grass 

 stem with the young insect in the frothy mass, magnified. At a, the 

 insect is shown reaching out the hinder part of the body to secure a 

 bubble of air. At b, the insect is allowing the bubble of air to escape 

 in the fluid. At c, the mouth parts are shown like a sting piercing 

 the grass. Fig. 3 represents the grass with two masses of froth on 

 it at a, a, and a young insect exposed at b. These illustrations are 

 from Morse's First Book of Zoology, and I am indebted to the pub- 

 lishers of that w(>rk for the use of them. 



Fig. 2. Fig. 3. 



Two different species of spittle-insects are common on grass in 

 Massachusetts, Philaenus spuinarius (Linn.) and Philaenus Uneatus 

 (Linn.), and they also occur in Europe from which country the}' were 

 probably introduced. Although these two insects feed on many 

 different species of plants, it is said that they are strictly attached to 

 grasses and low plants, and that they never occur on trees and shrubs 

 except by accident. 



It is not known where they lay their eggs, but as the females are 

 provided with saw-like appendages connected with the ovipositor, it 

 is probable that they cut slits in the stems of the plants near the 

 ground, in whicli to deposit their eggs. I incline to the impression 



