Bugs, Cicadas, Aphids, and Scale-insects 219 



and feasible remedy in the case of thin-haired animals, as swine and horses, 

 is the application of a wash of tobacco-water or dilute carbolic acid, or of 

 an ointment made of one part sulphur to four parts lard, or kerosene in 

 lard, or of a liberal dusting with wood ashes or powdered charcoal; in the 

 case of thick-haired animals, as cattle, the best remedy is fumigation by 

 enclosing the animal in a sac or tent with the head left free, and burning 

 sulphur or tobacco inside the sack. One to two ounces of tobacco and 

 exposure of twenty to thirty minutes for each cow have been found effective. 



A BRIEF account of the curious little insects known as thrips may be 

 appended here to the chapter on the Hemiptera (Fig. 307). These narrow- 



FIG. 306. 



FIG. 307. 



(After Lugger; natural 



FIG. 306. The sheep-louse, Hamatopinustrvis, female and egg. 



size of insect indicated by line; egg much enlarged.) 

 FIG. 307. Thrips, Phorithrips sp. (Much enlarged.) 



bodied, fringe-winged, yellowish or reddish brown or blackish little creatures 

 can be most readily found in flower-cups, which they frequent for the sake 

 of sucking the sap from the pistils and stamens or the delicate sepals 

 and petals. Some of them move slowly when disturbed, but others run 

 quickly or leap, and nearly all show an odd characteristic bending up of 

 the tip of the slender abdomen. This movement is usually preparatory 

 to flight (in the case of winged individuals), and is believed to be the means 

 of separating and combing out the fringes which border both fore and hind 

 margins of each wing. There are fine spines on the sides of the abdomen, 

 and the movement of the abdomen seems to draw the fringe-hairs through 

 these comb-like rows of spines. The thrips vary in size from -^ to ^ of 

 an inch, and may be certainly known by their narrow fringed wings (when 



