Animals of the Mississippi Bottoms near Qnincij. 173 



The eggs of this " skipper " are attached to aquatic plants, 

 and the young pupa3 resemble the grown insect except for the 

 wings and increased size. In winter the adults are found 

 under rubbish in the shallow water at the edges of streams. 

 The species was common in a number of the sloughs, and was 

 noted especially in Harkness Slough, Willow Slough, and Long 

 Lake. 



Stephania picta^ H. Sch. 



(Uhler, Stand. Nat. Hist., ii, 270.) 



A small brightly colored insect taken only in Wood Slough 

 and Long Lake. 



Family Veliid^e. 



Mesovelia hisignata^ Uhler. 



(Uhler, Stand. Nat. Hist, ii, 274.) 



A small greenish yellow insect about .12 inch long, which 

 is frequently found on the surface of water. Frequent at 

 edges of Willow Slough August 15. 



Family Belostomatidje. 



Benacus griseus, Say. 



This is one of the large, flat, predaceous bugs that some- 

 times become destructive to young fishes. It is reported by 

 Mr. C. A. Hart, of this Laboratory, as common at the electric 

 lights in Quiucy. It was not seen in the water, but this was 

 doubtless due to some peculiarity in its habits. For some 

 reason it is never brought out in the seines and dredges in parts 

 of the State in which the numbers taken at electric lights show 

 it to be very common. Our small species of this family {Zaltha 

 fliitninea) often comes out in the seines by dozens. 



Family Nepid.e. (Water Scorpions.) 



Ranatra 4:-dentata, Stdl. 



(Stal, Ofv. af kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Forhandl., 1861, 204; 

 Uhler, Stand. Nat. Hist., ii, 255.) 



This bug is very slow of motion and creeps about on the 

 bottom or on plants, depending on its resemblance to a piece of 

 dead vegetation for securing the animals upon which it preys. 



