THE GROUND OR BURROWER BUGS. 83 



middle, minutely striate on sides. Length, 4 — 4.5 mm.; width, 2.5 — 

 2.8 mm. 



Miller, Lake Co., Ind., July 4 (Gerhard). Oregon, 111., June 

 21 (Hart). Amedee, Cal., July 21 (Gerhard). 2 * Ranges from 

 New York and New Jersey west to Oregon and California and 

 southwest to Texas and Arizona. Not recorded in the east 

 south of New Jersey. It appears to occur only in sandy areas. 

 Hart (1919, 205) records the taking of eight, June 21, under 

 a board in a sand "blowout" at Oregon, 111. Stoner (1920, 34) 

 has given an interesting account of its occurrence in Iowa 

 from which I quote as follows : 



"The first specimens were found on May 22, 1915, about the roots of 

 rush grass, Sporobohis cryptandrus (Torr.), growing in a sandy area 

 two miles north of Iowa City. This uncultivated area of perhaps two 

 acres extent is near the banks of the Iowa River and supports a typi- 

 cally arid vegetation. In the numerous visits to this place careful 

 search about the roots of the rush grass revealed many specimens. Some- 

 times as many as four adults, but oftener only one or two would be found 

 among the roots of a single plant. At no time were the insects observed 

 walking about on the sand. Several times specimens were found with a 

 small seed of some kind held close to the thorax by the middle pair of 

 legs. When the insect was freed from the sand and allowed to walk 

 freely it still clung to the seed, progressing by means of the front and 

 hind legs only. 



"In the summer of 1916 this Cydnid was found in considerable num- 

 bers on the sandy beach at Gull Point on West Okoboji Lake. On July 4 

 the nymphs were found to be more abundant than the adults. In all 63 

 specimens were taken ; 57 of these were nymphs, some still in the first 

 instar, others apparently ready to molt for the last time. A number of 

 dead adults and a single live one were also taken. The specimens were 

 collected from among the roots of the following plants, all of which grew 

 in considerable abundance on this sandy peninsula: beard tongue, Pent- 

 stemon grandiflorus Nutt. ; sedge, Cyperus schweinitzii Torr.; worm- 

 wood, Artemisia caudata Michx., and rush grass, Sporobohis cryptan- 

 drus (Torr.). Usually not more than three or four nymphs were found 

 in a single plant; however in one instance 27 nymphs of different sizes 

 were found in the sand among the roots of one small bunch of the rush 

 grass." 



VII. ^Ethus Dallas, 1851, 110. 



Oval or subelliptical subdepressed species having all the mar- 

 gins ciliate ; head subdeclivent, wider across the eyes than long, 



2 'These California specimens were taken by Wickham at an elevation of 4,200 

 feet and determined by Van Duzee. They are 5 mm. in length and may represent 

 C. testudinatus Uhler. 



