LIFE HISTORIES OF FROGHOPPERS OF MAINE. 267 



"About 'Hoppers.' There is a class of insects including three families, 

 the leafhopper, treehopper and froghopper, which present some peculiar 

 characteristics, the species most common here is the froghopper (Cer- 

 copida) so called. Every farmer will have noticed upon plants, par- 

 ticularly on grass, a mass of foam or spittle-like substance, adhering 

 to the stalk, and containing an insect, which, from the fact that it leaps 

 when disturbed, may have been called a young grasshopper. This is 

 the froghopper, of the order Homoptera, and entirely distinct from 

 the grasshopper, in having a tube to suck juices instead of jaws to 

 bite leaves, as do grasshoppers and all other orthopterous insects. 

 These froghoppers hatch from eggs laid in the previous autumn, and 

 immediately puncture the tender bark of the plant with their beak and 

 suck out the sap. They take in such large quantities that it oozes out 

 of their bodies in the form of minute bubbles which soon form a cover- 

 ing of foam or spittle-like substance, which gives it its name. This 

 substance shelters it from the sun and also from insect enemies. When 

 they become full grown in autumn they are not thus protected, but 

 are found moving about on the plants where they lay their eggs. A 

 description of this insect will be unnecessary, as every reader has seen 

 them. There is general resemblance among the different families of 

 hoppers. They are not considered particularly destructive to the plants 

 on which they are found." 



In speaking of the injuries of the spittle insects Dr. Lintner 

 (Fifth Report on the Injurious and Other Insects of the State 

 of New York, p. 246, 1889) remarks as follows : 



"Report .has been made in Vermont of one or more of -the grass 

 infesting species causing considerable damage to the hay crop. It was 

 estimated that in consequence of the depredations, the quantity of hay 

 grown on some fields was one-third less than the natural yield, not 

 including the depreciation in the quality of the crop. It is but seldom 

 however, that these insects increase to such an unusual extent as to 

 become of serious injury, and it is therefore unnecessary to indicate 

 any means for their destruction. A gentleman, who asks for informa- 

 tion regarding them, states that, in passing through his mowing fields, 

 in Auburn, Mass., they are so numerous as to wet his shoes. An 

 abundance such as this would of course, be harmful to the crop but, 

 fortunately it is of rare occurrence." 



Occurrences such as these are perhaps less rare than is gen- 

 erally supposed since these insects are easily overlooked and 

 the tendency has been to give little heed to the attacks of insects 

 unless they are severe enough to cause a very complete destruc- 

 tion of a crop. I am informed by Dr. Patch that occurrences 

 where the insects are abundant enough to wet ones shoes in 

 walking through grass are not infrequent and in my collecting 

 the present season I have found them plentiful enough for this 



