def _send(self):
        """
        Send data to statsd. Fire and forget.  Cross fingers and it'll arrive.
        """
        if not statsd:
            return
        for metric in self.metrics:

            # Split the path into a prefix and a name
            # to work with the statsd module's view of the world.
            # It will get re-joined by the python-statsd module.
            #
            # For the statsd module, you specify prefix in the constructor
            # so we just use the full metric path.
            (prefix, name) = metric.path.rsplit(".", 1)
            logging.debug("Sending %s %s|g", name, metric.value)

            if metric.metric_type == 'GAUGE':
                if hasattr(statsd, 'StatsClient'):
                    self.connection.gauge(metric.path, metric.value)
                else:
                    statsd.Gauge(prefix, self.connection).send(
                        name, metric.value)
            else:
                # To send a counter, we need to just send the delta
                # but without any time delta changes
                value = metric.raw_value
                if metric.path in self.old_values:
                    value = value - self.old_values[metric.path]
                # provide an option for caller to manually set the value
                elif metric.value:
                    value = metric.value
                self.old_values[metric.path] = metric.raw_value

                if hasattr(statsd, 'StatsClient'):
                    self.connection.incr(metric.path, value)
                else:
                    statsd.Counter(prefix, self.connection).increment(
                        name, value)

        if hasattr(statsd, 'StatsClient'):
            self.connection.send()
        self.metrics = []

        Send data to statsd. Fire and forget.  Cross fingers and it'll arrive.
        
src/diamond/handler/stats_d.py