30 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



On the night of October 5 a cool northerly wind brought a sudden 

 decline of temperature, and myriads of small bugs invaded dwellings and 

 late business rooms wherever lights attracted the insects and nothing barred 

 their way besides the ineffectual screens. In swarming around the lights, 

 they caused a distractive annoyance to persons within range of their move- 

 ments, more than on any preceding night. My daughter complained that 

 the insects bit her, and her neck showed three small lesions, each of 

 which was the nucleus of a stinging irritation. The insects were accused 

 of being the culprits, because she had brushed them away. A quantity of 

 the insects which fell from the light globes and died were collected and 

 examined next morning. Nearly all were leafhoppers, of the family 

 Jassidae. A few heteropterous plant-bugs were among them. The pre- 

 vailing species of leafhopper was At/iysamts exitiosus Uhl., which 

 outnumbered Deltocephalus iniinicus Say, at the rate of 100 to 6. 

 Empoasca was much more abundant than Deltocephaliis. Only a single 

 specimen of another Jassid appeared in the examination. 



No record of such abnormal habit concerning these insects or other 

 related species is known to me, but two of my associates have declared 

 that they as well as some members of their families have been bitten by 

 leafhoppers of common size, at various times and places, even during the 

 recent abundance of these insects at lights in lJ)allds.. 



Another bug, to \\hich my attention was drawn on account of its 

 stinging bite on the back of my hand, was recognized as Irip/ileps 

 insidiosus Say. This attacked me while doing field work on May 10, 

 19 10, at Dallas, Tex. 



Still another species, which proved to be Geocorus bullatus Say, has 

 been brought to notice by an associate, Mr. Harry Pinkus, who was 

 examining cotton plants with me in a field at Piano, Tex., July 12, also 

 in 1910, when he captured the bug in the act of biting his hand. 



An additional species, which agreed with identified specimens of 

 Atovioscelis serieaius Reut., belonging in the family Miridce \Capsidce\ 

 was taken in the act of biting the back of my hand while I was engaged 

 in writing at my desk at night under electric I'ghts, September 8, 19 10, 

 at Dallas, Tex, Its persistency in biting until I could obtain a 

 cyanide bottle and capture it is strong evidence that it attempted to feed 

 on blood, and perhaps succeeded ; in fact, it seemed loth to relinquish its 

 attack even after being enclosed by the mouth of the botile. The bite 



