152 INSECT BEHAVIOR 



of a soft-bodied, buff-colored insect, whose general appearance re- 

 minds one of a tiny submarine. 



When the eggs have given birth to their curious children, the 

 insects climb some distance up the grass stems, and here one may 

 observe the most interesting of their habits the formation of the 

 spittle mass which has earned for the insect its name. When about 

 to begin house building, the insect ejects a tiny drop of extremely 

 sticky liquid upon the grass stem, into this mass it inserts the tail 

 end of its body, which is fitted with a specialized apparatus for 

 blowing bubbles. The apparatus opens slowly, allowing some of 

 the sticky fluid to flow across its concave surface. Now the orifice 

 closes slowly, while a slight pressure from within causes a tiny 

 bubble to be blown. This does not burst, on account of its sticky 

 covering, and as the process continues, thousands of these tiny spheres 

 of mucus are manufactured, which eventually surround and com- 

 pletely cover the insect. The blowing apparatus in action reminds 

 me of a gold fish's mouth, a continual opening and closing motion, 

 but working, of course, to an entirely different end. 



Thus the spittle bug hides itself away, safe from the hungry jaws 

 of its numerous enemies. 



It must be understood that when living in this curious dwelling 

 the insect is not mature, but is in a form which corresponds to a 

 caterpillar before it becomes a butterfly. Caterpillars feed upon 

 the leaves and stems of various plants and trees, but just what com- 

 poses the diet of the spittle bug is more or less a disputed question. 

 This, and the reason for its manufacture of the sticky froth, are 

 points which have been neglected by entomologists. 



It seems as though either one of these unsolved mysteries might 

 explain the other. The froth is extremely sticky and therefore acts 

 as a trap for many tiny insects. In the insect world we find a great 

 many species which live upon animal food when young, so why 



