310 Report of the Department of Entomology of the 



charge from the wound continues some time after the initial injury, 

 forming, especially under moist conditions, a narrow, thread-like 

 coil which may project a considerable distance from the surface of the 

 fruit. (See Plate XVII.) As the peach grows the wound becomes 

 more elongated, while the epidermis splits and becomes thickened 

 and raised about the margins of the rupture. The flesh of the fruit 

 within the interior of the cut is soft and gummy. In the more 

 advanced stages the skin breaks diagonally across the injured areas, 

 which gives the scars a more or less square or rectangular appearance. 

 Later the skin rolls back, producing thickened margins about the 

 wounds. Continued feeding in restricted areas results in the injured 

 spots running together, which oftentimes forms large, elongated 

 scars. The exudation of the gum increases with the extent of the 

 injury and always follows the pubescence to the surface, with which 

 it becomes matted over an extended area on the face of the fruit. 

 During rains the gum disappears from the fruit, while in very dry 

 weather the discharge from the wounds may be very much reduced. 

 With the adults under confinement there was no gumming of the 

 fruit, which we have not been able to explain in view of the contrary 

 observations previously mentioned. 



BIOLOGY OF THE INSECT. 



CLASSIFICATION. 



The Capsidae, or leaf-bugs, to which this species belongs, consti- 

 tute a very large and important group of hemipterous insects, includ- 

 ing some very injurious forms, such as the four-lined plant-bug 

 (Poetilocapsus lineatus Fab.) and the tarnished plant-bug (Lijgus 

 pratensis L.) It is the largest family of the Heteroptera; and accord- 

 ing to Dr. L. O. Howard 12 comprises more than one thousand 

 species, of which two hundred and fifty or more inhabit the United 

 States. They are slender and delicate creatures, with soft and flex- 

 ible wing covers, thickened basally. These insects are largely plant 

 feeders and thrive on vegetation of all kinds, frequently occurring in 

 large numbers. Varying with the species, they attack flower, fruit, 

 leaf, stem or twig, and as a result of their feeding habits there is 

 usually a drying up of the surrounding tissues which may interrupt 



"The Insect Book, p. 301. 1901. 



