BLIGHT. 237 



served to be injured by them. This insect is viviparous, 

 or produces its young alive, forming a cradle for them 

 by discharging from the extremities of its body a quan- 

 tity of long cottony matter, which, becoming inter- 

 woven and entangled, prevents the young from falling 

 to the earth, and completely envelops the parent and 

 offspring. In this cottony substance we observe, as soon 

 as the creature becomes animated in the spring, and 

 as long as it remains in vigor, many round pellucid 

 bodies, which, at the first sight, look like eggs, only 

 that they are larger than we might suppose to be ejected 

 by the animal. They consist of a sweet glutinous fluid, 

 and are probably the discharges of the aphis, and the 

 first food of its young. That it is thus consumed, I con- 

 jecture from its diminution, and its by no means in- 

 creasing so fast as faacal matter would do from such 

 perpetually feeding creatures. I have not, in any in- 

 stance, observed the young to proceed from these glob- 

 ular bodies, though they are found at various ages at all 

 times during the season. This languinous vestiture 

 seems to serve likewise as a vehicle for dispersing the 

 animal ; for though most of our species of aphis are 

 furnished with wings, I have never seen any individual 

 of this American blight so provided, but the winds 

 wafting about small tufts of this downy matter, convey 

 the creature with it from tree to tree throughout the 

 whole orchard. In the autumn, when this substance is 

 generally long, the winds and rains of the season effec- 

 tually disperse these insects, and we observe them en- 

 deavoring to secrete themselves in the crannies of any 

 neighboring substance. Should the savoy cabbage be 

 near the trees whence they have been dislodged, the 

 cavities of the under sides of its leaves are commonly 

 favorite asylums for them. Multitudes perish by these 

 rough removals, but numbers yet remain ; and we may 

 find them in the nodes and crevices, on the under sides 

 of the branches, at any period of the year, the long, 

 cottony vesture being removed, but still they are en- 

 veloped in a fine, short, downy clothing, to be seen by 

 a magnifier, proceeding apparently from every suture, 

 or pore of their bodies, and protecting them in their 



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