Oct. 21, 1918 The Meadow Plant Bug, Miris dolabratus 1 83 



food from the tender parts of the blossom or from the forming seed. I 

 have seen a female thrust her beak down in the flower of witch grass, 

 piercing the glumes, or insert her beak between and down into the an- 

 thers, penetrating them and causing them to burst, and probably suck- 

 ing juices from the ovules. 



Slosson's {1894) record for Mount Washington above 5,500 feet is 

 for adults, and Mr. C. W. Johnson informed me that many insects capable 

 of flight are carried up by air currents and found at altitudes much above 



that of their food plants. 



SYNONYMY 



The abundance, wide distribution, and variability of the meadow 

 plant bug may be inferred from the many names which have been 

 applied to it by different writers. No less than 13 specific names have 

 been given to it, and with the various generic combinations used this 

 number is still increased. 



For the detailed statement of the synonymy I am indebted mainly to 

 the exhaustive catalogue of Oshanin {igog, p. 778), whose records are 

 almost exclusively European. A more complete bibhography is given 

 by Van Duzee {1917). Its synonymy according to Oshanin is as follows : 



MIRIS FAB. REUT. 



Miris Fabr. S. R. p. 253 (prt.); Reut. Rev. Syn. p. 243; Hiieb. Syn. Blindw. i, p. 

 T,2, et 63; Leptopterna Fieb. Cr. Phyt. p. 302; Eur. Hem. p. 63 et 244; Reut. Gen. 

 Cim. p. 9; Rev. cr. Caps. 2, p. 13; Lopomorphus Dgl. Sc. B. H., p. 293. Lopus. 

 Herrick Schaeffer. Wanz. Ins. III., p. 35. 



dolabratus Lin. 



Cimex dolabratus L. Syst. Nat. ed. 10, p. 449 [1758]; ? Cimes frumentaruis Poda Ins. 

 Mus. Graec, p. 60 [1761]; Cimex riparius Scop. Ent. cam., p. 135 [1763]; Citnex laevig- 

 atus Deg. Mem. 3, p. 292 [1773]; Cimex lateralis Fabr. Gen. Ins., p. 300 [1776]; ? Cimex 

 deses Miill. Zool. Dan., p. 108 [1776]; Cimex antenni-rectus Goeze Ent. Beitr. 2, p. 

 267 [1778]; Cimex V-flavum Goeze ibidem, p. 279 [1778]; Cimex porrectus Geoffr. in 

 Foiurcr. Ent. Par., p. 206 [1785]; Cimex recticornis Gmel. Syst. Nat. ed. 13, p. 2185 

 [1788]; Miris abbreviatus Wolff Wanz. f. no (9) [1802]; Miris lateralis Wolff Wanz. 

 f. 109 (c?) [1802]; ? Miris picticeps Ciul. Brit. Ent. 15, t. 701 [1838]; Miris dolabratus 

 Hhn- W. I. 2, p. 75. f. 160 [1834]; Flor. R. L. i, p. 437; Reut. Rev. syn. no. 209; Hiieb. 

 Syn. Blindw. i, p. 66; Atk. Cat., p. 34; Lopus id. H. S. W. I. 3, p. 45, f. 261 et 262 

 [1835]; Mey. Caps., p. 38; Shlb. Mon. Geoc. p. 88; Kbm. Caps., p. 196; Leptopterna id. 

 Fieb. Eur. Hem. p. 245 (prt.) [1861]; Reut. Rev. er. Caps. 2, p. 15; Saimd. Synops. 

 2, p. 262; Prov. Faun. Ent. Can. Hem., p. 104 [1886]; Saund. Hem. Het. Br., p. 227, 

 t. 20, f. 10; Lopomorphus id. Dgl. Sc. B. H., p. 297 [1865]; Uhler, Bost. Soc. N. H. 

 XIX, p. 397. 1878; Miris Belangeri Prov. Natur. Canad. 4, p. 78 [1872]. 



DIMORPHISM 



The Species occurs in two distinct forms of females, a long-winged and 

 a short-winged form; but only one form of male, the long-winged, has 

 been observed. The short- winged form of female is by far the most 

 abundant; and as this form is entirely unable to fly, and therefore is very 



