The Colorado Potato-Bug QQ5 



native American which was an Aborigine like the 

 Indians and lived in the mountains of Colorado. 

 It attracted little attention at first and no one knew 

 how important it was destined to become in this 

 world. Very few people noticed these beetles as the 

 insects sat on the wild plant known to scientists as 

 the Solanum rostratum which is, I believe, a plant 

 related to our potato. Fig. 24(3 shows eggs attached 

 to leaf; Fig. 244, larva or young; Fig. 245, pupa or 

 mummy, and Fig. 246, the perfect beetle. 



One day, Mr. Potato-bug woke up. Civiliza- 

 tion and cultivated fields had reached his mountain 

 home. This was his great opportunity and in 

 place of a few scattered wild Solanum plants, there 

 were scattered acres of luscious potato plants ! The 

 potato beetles literally waded into the garden 

 plants. 



Prosperity had found the potato-bugs and they 

 followed it up until at length they reached the 

 Atlantic Coast, where I have seen windrows of 

 potato beetles washed up on the beach. These 

 last were the adventurous insects who wanted to 

 go still further east and were drowned in the 

 attempt. 



It was awav back before mv readers were bom. 



