24 



fields at Tlalmalilo, of weeds alon<i- the roadside, of the desert vege- 

 tation of mesquite (the beans being dry at this time) and cacti, and 

 of ornamental trees and shrubs at the headquarters of the estate; but 

 on none of these were the insects found. 



SEASONAL HISTORY. 



For the information concerning the seasonal history of the con- 

 chuela, here presented, the writer is indebted to Mr. John Conduit, 

 who, owing to the immense tract of cotton grown under his supervi- 

 sion, gives particular attention to cotton pests, and in addition to 

 personal examinations in the fields, encourages the " bosses " of the 

 various parts of the estate to send in to the office specimens of insects 

 taken on the cotton plant, with information concerning their abun- 

 dance and injury. The " bosses '' in their turn make personal exam- 

 inations and send dozens of laborers into the various subdivisions of 

 the estate to search for any particular insect concerning which infor- 

 mation may be desired at headquarters. This system made it possible 

 to obtain accurate information concerning the abundance of the pcn- 

 tatomid bug here considered. 



In 1903 the conchuelas were abundant only during the month of 

 July, and reached a maximum in numbers about July 20. Their 

 first appearance was in the outlying districts, next to the mesquite, 

 but they soon spread all over the cotton plantation, though they were 

 more abundant in certain parts than in others. The insects disap- 

 l^eared early in August and did not reappear in noticeable abundance 

 during the season, although the cottoii i^lants reraained green until 

 the 17th of October, when the first frost occurred. 



Although a constant watch for the insect was kept during the late 

 spring and early summer of 1904, the first specimen was not taken in 

 tlie field until July 6. Several specimens were soon after this for- 

 warded to me at Victoria, Tex. During the following seven days a 

 rapid increase in their numl)ers was noted, causing considerable fear 

 lest they seriously damage the cotton crop. On Jidy IT, however, it 

 was observed that a marked decrease in their numbers had occurred. 

 Nowhere on the estate were the insects as abundant as in July of the 

 previous year, nor were they so generally distributed. On August 

 31, the date of my first examination in the cotton fields on my second 

 visit to Tlahualilo, the insects were so scarce that but five speciinens 

 were found during the first search of one and one-half hours. They 

 were afterwards found in somewhat greater abundance in another 

 portion of the estate. No nymphs and only a single batch of eggs 

 could be found in the field, this latter having been deposited in a field 

 cage. Several hours each day for nearly a week were spent in tlie 

 cotton fields before any adults were seen in coition. During this 

 period many adults were seen at ditferent times of the day. In the 



