22 
I have been very minute in watching- the pro- 
ceedings of the ants among them, hut never found 
one Aj)Jiis destroyed by them. Their attendance 
appeai’ed to be only for the purpose of procuring 
the excrementitious substance produced by the 
Aphides •, and I liave observed when this has not 
been sufficient, that the ants have pushed them 
about, and caused them to eject the fluid, which 
they have immediately and eagerly consumed. 
Therefore, if the ants are of no farther use than to 
cleanse, or partly so, the foliage of this glutinous 
matter, the good they do will not compensate for 
the evil produced by disordering the ground and 
plants where they reside ; and of course they will 
be better destroyed than otherwise, as the leaves 
can be cleansed with weak soap water. Several 
kinds of birds are of great service in destroy- 
ing the different species of the Aphides, but 
their services are rendered more effectual some 
years than others, according to the superffuity 
or scantiness of the different kinds of provisions 
they resort to or feed upon, and to the number of 
birds. These, with the foregoing remarks, ai-e 
the principal reasons I can give, to show why 
they prevail more one year than another, and in 
some situations, while others are free. 
To save repetition, before I proceed to show 
the manner of destroying these insects, .1 would 
just observe, that they, as well as most kinds 
of insects, breed rapidly, so that should even a 
few escape destruction, vegetation will soon be 
