OBSERVATIONS ON BLIGHT. 2£3 



of the ant and the Aphis is of the most peaceful kind that 

 can be conceived; their object is the honey-dew which the 

 Aplds emits ; and, far from hurting the animal which affords 

 them this pleasant food, they shew it the greatest possible 

 attention and kindness, — licking it all over with their little 

 tongues, and fondling it, and patting it, and caressing it with 

 their antenna? in the kindest, prettiest way imaginable:— not so 

 the lady-bird, or its lizard-like caterpillar; these feed on the 

 blights most voraciously, a single grub clearing a leaf, on 

 which were forty or more, in the course of a day. The perfect 

 lady-bird is a decided enemy to them, but not so formidable a 

 one as the grub. The eggs of the lady-bird may often be seen 

 on the hop-leaf; they are yellow, and five or six in a cluster 

 placed on their ends ; these should on no account be destroyed, 

 as is too often the case, but on the contrary every encourage- 

 ment should be given to so decided a friend to the hop- 

 grower. 



Besides the lady-bird and its grub, there are two other 

 terrible enemies to the poor Aphis ; one of which is a green 

 ungainly-looking grub, without legs, which lays flat on the 

 surface of the leaf, and stretches out its neck, just like a leech, 

 till it touches one of them ; directly he feels one he seizes it in 

 his teeth, and holds it up, wriggling in the air till he has sucked 

 all the goodness out of it, and left it a mere empty skin. 

 This curious creature turns to a fly which has a body banded 

 with difierent colours, and which in summer you may often 

 observe under trees and about flowers, standing quite still in 

 the air as though asleep, yet, if you try to catch him, darting 

 off like an arrow. '^ The other has six legs, and very large 

 strong curved jaws, and is a most ferocious looking fellow, 

 strutting about with the skins of the blights which he has 

 killed on his back. This fierce fellow comes to a very beauti- 

 ful fly, with four wings, all divided into meshes like a net, and 

 two beautiful golden eyes.' All these creatures, which thus 

 live on the plant-lice, have a very strong and disagreeable 

 smell in the perfect state. 



For a favourite plant infested with blight there are several 

 remedies, — smoke of tobacco, snuff, &c. ; but the most effec- 

 tual, and the least hurtful to the plant, is to let it stand in a 



'' One of the SyrjMclce. Vid. Int. to Eut. I. 2G5, &c.— Ed. 

 <^ Chrysopa Perla. — Ed. 



