Vol. XXVli] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 28 1 



If the larva attacked be large enough, it throws the young nymph 

 about violently as it struggles to rid itself of the undesirable predator. 

 The nymph struggles to retain its hold, however, at the same 

 time attempting to crawl backwards in an effort to drag the prey, which 

 it does if the latter be small enough, thus keeping the struggling larva 

 away from its own body. In case the young nymph is thrown loose 

 from the larva it usually gives up the attempt to capture, unless it be 

 especially hungry or has the larva placed before it again, in which case 

 it again attacks. Should the nymph retain its hold on the larva with 

 the beak inserted, the prey soon ceases to struggle, giving up completely, 

 seemingly rendered inactive by the pain of the inserted beak or per- 

 haps by a fluid injected for that purpose. 



Young Sinea no further advanced in development than at most the 

 second instar have been seen to attack and capture lepidopterous larvae 

 half an inch long. In one instance a squirming larva of Drasteria 

 erechtea was held in the air in front of a young Sinca diadema. The 

 nymph, about ^ inch long, approached cautiously and rearing back 

 until the Body was vertical, sprung off the floor almost straight upward 

 for a distance of about one-fourth of an inch and captured the prey. 



Living as this young insect does on larvae that are more or less 

 active themselves, it is perhaps necessary that it be agile or it might 

 as a species be materially reduced, if not drop out entirely, in the 

 struggle for existence. 



Adults feed in much the same manner. 



The abundance of this species in the fields in summer together with 

 this predaceous habit, establishes an economic factor of no little im- 

 portance. H. L. PARKER, Bureau of Entomology, Division of Cereal 

 and Forage Crop Insect Investigations, Hagerstown, Md. 



Targionia dearnessii Ckll. (Hem., Horn.). 



This rather conspicuous scale, though widely distributed, is not com- 

 monly noted, for some reason. It first came to my notice by a purely 

 automatic reflex and not at all as a result of search. I was, at the 

 time, walking briskly along a country road, in late fall, when it sud- 

 denly came to me that there had been something peculiar about a small 

 twig I had passed in the road. Retracing my steps for perhaps a rod, 

 I picked up the twig, possibly six inches in length, and discovered that 

 it was rather plentifully spotted with a whitish scale, having an Aspidi- 

 otus-\\ke appearance but entirely unknown to me. Upon sending it to 

 Mr. E. R. Sasscer, of the Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, I learned 

 that it was Targionia dearnessii Ckll. Examining the twig I dis- 

 covered that it was Ccanothus americanus L., or, as commonly called, 

 "New Jersey Tea." This was in southern Missouri, some three years 

 ago and, not being at that time familiar with the flora there, I was un- 

 certain whether my find was local or, perchance, dropped from a load 

 of hay imported from elsewhere. Early the following spring search 



