What is this??

[Overlake97]

Thanks to those who responded to this. I've figured out that as long as I have a LOT of gas in that little tank, it keeps flowing and the wacker keeps wacking. Makes sense that the filter would also provide weight to stay below the "surface" (thanks Denis D). And yes, my fuel line is pretty crumbly, at least near the end. I probably should have kept it full all winter, rather than let it dry out.