94 MY STUDIO NEIGHBORS 



close the little hopper or colony of them headed 

 for its tip. 



But I have omitted to mention one singular 

 feature which is the usual accompaniment of my 

 group of hoppers, and is, indeed, the most con- 

 spicuous sign of their presence on any given 

 shrub. In the cut below I have indicated a short 

 section of a bittersweet branch as it commonly 

 appears, the twig apparently beset with tiny tufts 

 of cotton, occasionally so numerous as to present 

 a continuous white mass, usually on the lower 

 side of the branch, where its direction is hori- 

 zontal. They are thus easily seen from below, 

 and a closer examination will always reveal one 

 or more of the black animated thorns in their 

 immediate vicinity, suggesting the responsible 



