44 Insect Life : Its Why and Wherefore 
tenants have gone the filaments look 
uncommonly like some vegetable parasite 
or moss attached to the leaves, so much so 
that many people have been quite deceived. 
The method by which the whole process is 
worked is as wonderful as the result. 
Taking up her position upon a satisfactory 
leaf — never, be it remarked, far from the 
habitat of the aphis — she drops upon the 
edge of this leaf a tiny particle of sticky, 
glutinous matter, which she proceeds to 
draw out like a fine thread until of a 
suitable length. This substance very 
soon dries and hardens, when it comes 
into contact with the air, but ere the thread 
has had time to go through this process 
an egg is deposited and attached to its 
extremity. It is these little whitish- 
coloured eggs attached to these threads 
which form the curious fringe-like 
appendage to the leaves. 
In addition to the peculiar and offensive 
odour emitted by the lace wing, she has 
another means, in common with so many 
other creatures, for protecting herself, and 
that is her adaptation to local colouring. 
As the pheasant is hard to distinguish 
