BUGS. 203 



abounds to such an extent as almost to annihilate the corn crops 

 over large districts. 



Anthocoris Nemorum, Fabr., is a small black species, with pale 

 elytra marked Avith two transverse black lines. It is met with on 

 various plants, including hops, and the hop-growers, who call it 

 the " needle-nosed flea," accuse it of destroying their crops. It is, 

 however, supposed to be a carnivorous insect, in which case it 

 would probably be only waging war upon the small insects which 

 are the real destroyers of the hops.^ 



Family IV. — PyrrJiocoridce. 



Ocelli absent ; membrane of the fore wings coriaceous, with 

 more than five nervures ; otherwise resembling the Lygceidce in their 

 most important characters. A representative European species is 

 Pyrrhocoris Apterus, Linn., a red insect, with a black head and 

 scutellum, a black spot on the middle of the thorax, and two 

 black spots on each of the fore wings. Both winged and apterous 

 individuals occur, and the insect is sometimes very abundant. 



Family V. — Capsidce. 



Body soft ; ocelli absent ; antennae four-jointed, pubescent ; 

 scutellum small, triangular ; female with a distinct ovipositor. 



This family includes a great number of small species of varie- 

 gated colours, which feed exclusively on the sap of plants or the 

 juice of fruit. As a representative we have figured Capsns In- 

 termedius, Sahib., a shining black species, with silvery pubes- 

 cence and reddish legs. 



Family VI. — Tingididce. 



Body broad, depressed ; antennae not thinner towards the tip, 

 sometimes clubbed ; rostrum three-jointed, very short. 



The species of this family differ considerably among themselves 

 in size, structure, and habits, and although the majority of the 

 species are carnivorous, others, especially among the smaller species, 

 are herbivorous. Our native species are generally small ; and 

 Tingis Pyri, Fabr., a brown insect about one-eighth of an inch 

 long, is sometimes very injurious to pear-trees. 



^ Compare M'Lachlan, Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London, 

 1S79, v>. xliii ; and 1880, pp. xxix and xxx. 



