HONEY-DEW. 77 



caped the observation of the earlier philosophers, 

 being usually concealed within the curl of the 

 leaves that are punctured." The drops that are 

 spurted out, unless intercepted by the surrounding 

 foliage, or some other interposing body, fall upon 

 the ground, and the spots may often be observed, 

 for some time, beneath the trees affected with 

 honey-dew, till washed away by the rain. When 

 the leaves of the kidney-bean are affected by 

 honey-dew, their surface assumes the appearance 

 of having been sprinkled with soot. 



Honey-dew usually appears upon the leaves, as 

 a viscid, transparent substance, sweet as honey, 

 sometimes in the form of globules, at others re- 

 sembling a syrup, and is generally most abundant 

 from the middle of June to the middle of July. 



It is found chiefly upon the oak, the elm, the 

 maple, the plane, the sycamore, the lime, the hazel 

 and the blackberry ; occasionally also on the cherry, 

 currant, and other fruit trees. Sometimes only 

 one species of trees is affected at a time. The 

 oak generally affords the largest quantity. At 

 the season of its greatest abundance, the happy 

 humming noise of the bees may be heard at a con- 

 siderable distance from the trees, sometimes nearly 

 equalling in loudness the united hum of swarming. 

 Of the plane there are two sorts ; the oriental and 

 the occidental, both highly ornamental trees, and 



