70 
ment such a distance, and also his comrades pressed around — 
him, who without this manceuvre, would be englued and un- _ 
able to act. deen 
It is a fact well understood, that if the drop passed out — 
without effort, the insect which delivered it being placed, — 
as we have said, his tail up, and head down, the excrement _ 
would fall on himself first, before his companions could be 
spattered with it. But what advantage, it may be asked, is 
there in this whimsical position? ‘There is every appear- — 
ance, that in the manners of these insects, there is nothing 
- offensive in the mode; that it is even necessary, at least itis _ 
to them very commodious, for projecting the drep with ad- — 
vantage. : 
To judge fairly of it, it is only necessary to observe, that 
their abdomen is twenty times greater than the rest of their 
body; that is, their head and corslet taken together. It is 
as much as they can do, to drag it slowly after them. But — 
‘if the insect was in an attitude, contrary to that in which 
we see him, it would be very difficult for him to raise that 
heavy mass, when he wanted to be relieved from the press, _ 
that the expulsion of the drop might clear the troop, and _ 
pass beyond: instead of which, by having the head down ~ 
and the abdomen exposed, these insects make much less ef- 
fort by bending a little forward when they feel a necessity. — 
However, with all the advantage which this situation affords _ 
them, it appears that they still make a great effort, as it 
were, to collect all their strength. SN, 
I have not observed them to keep this position continu- 
ally, but only in fine weather. When winter approaches, 
the cold or the rains oblige the pucerons to range on the 
side of the branch best sheltered. As they at this time ex- 
tract but little juice from the bark, and their dejections are 
less frequent, they place themselves indifferently, their ab- 
_ domen up or down. The cold increasing their strength, 
obviates the disadvantage of the last attitude, for raising 
the abdomen, and raising the anus in such a way that the 
neighbours may not suffer by it. If it were not so, it would 
be worse for those who would be englued. In this bad 
season, the pucerons only languish, and each lives, and ar- 
ranges himself to the best of his knowledge and ability. 
The drops of this liquid, projected, fall on the ground, © 
where there are no leaves or branches to intercept them, 
and the stones remain spotted a long time, if no rain comes — 
to wash them out, This is the only kind of honey which 
