BRITISH INSECTS 



rest. There are several families of Humoptera which 

 are unrepresented in Britain— such as the Cicadas 

 (notorious for the sounds that they are capable of pro- 

 ducing), the Lantern Flies {Fulgoridce), which in some 

 species have curiously developed heads, and, in addition, 

 secrete wax which is used by the Chinese for making 

 candles. This brings us to the Cercopidce, or Froth 

 Flies, the commonest and best known being the so- 

 called Cuckoo Spit, or Frog Hopper {Philcemis spumarius). 

 The blobs of froth which may be seen attached to garden 

 and wild plants in early Summer will be well known, 

 but few people seem aware that the soft green larva of 

 the Frog Hopper is responsible for this, and that the 

 little tenant of the froth may easily be found by searching. 

 This substance is an obvious protection for this familiar 

 country dweller, until such time that its development 

 enables it to dispense with the frothy covering. By 

 this time, it has become a hard, dark-coloured, jumpy 

 little beast, capable of prodigious hops for so small a 

 creature. If man could, in comparison with his size, 

 cover similar ground, the speed at which we live would 

 be even more pronounced than it is to-day. When 

 hidden in the froth apparently little harm is perpetrated. 

 It is just a question of " wait and see " as, when mature, 

 the Frog Hopper is a great lover of the juice of plants, 

 and is constantly puncturing young leaves in order to 

 extract the juice. This causes the leaves to wither 

 and decay. Of the amazing Aphides or Green-Fly, 

 much might be written. Green-Fly is rather a mis- 

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