A QUEER LITTLE FAMILY ON THE BITTERSWEET 93 



found that our eyes may rest upon it repeatedly 

 without recognizing it. The life history of these 

 singular insects is quite similar, and is soon told. 

 The membracis belongs to the tribe of " Bu^s," 

 Hemiptera, which implies that it possesses a beak 

 instead of jaws, by which it sucks the sap of 

 plants, precisely like the aphis, or plant-louse. 

 This tiny beak we can readily distinguish bent 

 beneath the body of our bittersweet hopper. In- 

 serting it deep into the succulent bark, the para- 

 site remains for hours as motionless as the thorn 

 it imitates, the lower outline of its body hugging 

 close against the bark. The curious suggestion 

 of the thorn is produced not only by the outline, 

 but by the curious fact that the hopper never sits 

 across the twig, but always in the direction of its 

 length ; and, what is more, the projecting point of 

 the thorax is always directed towards the end of 

 the branch, or direction of growth. It is no easy 

 thing even for the casual botanist to determine 

 this nice point in a given segment of a bitter- 

 sweet branch placed in his hand, the position of 

 the chance leaf or leaf scar being his only guide. 

 But the Membracis binotala rarely — indeed never, 

 so far as I have examined — makes a mistake. 

 Thus the wandering spray of bittersweet, recurve 

 and twist upon itself as it may, will always dis- 



