CHAPTER XVIII 
ANTS AND MITES 
Most of the ordinary forest trees—lime, beech, ash, 
sycamore, and oak—are remarkable for the curious little 
hairy pockets which are to be found generally at the 
forkings of the veins on the under surface. 
There is a great deal of variety in the different leaves 
even of the same tree ; in some the tuft of hairs is very 
conspicuous, and in others it will be scarcely visible 
at all. ‘ 
It is interesting to stir up these little pockets with a 
pin whilst watching them through a strong lens, for then 
the horrible little mites which reside there come scurry- 
ing out of their caverns and run about wildly. The 
colour of these mites varies, for there are many distinct 
kinds ; but as a rule it seems to be usually the same as 
that of the hairs which mark their dwelling-place. 
The structure of a comfortable residence in the 
occupation of a thriving mite-family is not very easy to 
follow without very careful dissection, but one might say 
roughly that it is a winding cavern improvised between 
the fork of two veins and extending some way back 
into the tissue of the leaf. The narrow entrance is 
marked by the fringe of hairs already mentioned. 
These mites are said to wander about over the leaf 
at night feeding on fungus spores, bacteria, and the like, 
and they certainly retreat into their little caverns during 
the heat of the day (see p. 193). 
As a rule every vein-fork possesses a few hairs and a 
sort of fold or hollow, but those which are seats of the 
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