30 MISCELLANEOUS COTTON INSECTS. 



territory within a radius of 10 miles from Sabinal. The migration 

 of the bugs was much like that of the true chinch hug (Blissus leucoj)- 

 terus Say); the}' would remain in one place until the vegetation there 

 was destroyed and then move on. At this time hardly any adult 

 bugs were seen. Late in May the writer visited the same fields, and 

 hardly a specimen could be secured, although a few adults were found 

 in corn. In this case the damage was done entirely b}^ the nymphs; 

 and the swarms disappeared after their devastation of the cotton as 

 suddenl}' as they had appeared. Of the nymphs taken to the labora- 

 tory all died before maturing, so that their identity can not be definitely 

 established; but there seems to be no doubt, from a comparison with 

 determined specimens, that they are Nysius angustatus. 



Early in May the same species appeared in immense numbers in 

 wheat fields in one or two localities in north Texas, greatly to the 



alarm of the owners, but no 

 material injury was done. 

 Later in the month speci- 

 mens were received from 

 several points in central 

 Texas, where, occurring in 

 immense numbers, they were 

 doing serious damage to va- 



FiG. 15. — Nysitts aiu/Kstalus: /), last stage of uymph; r, rJoug o'ardeu CrODS. In Bra- 

 adult— much enlarged (after Riley). ^'t , > i i 



zos County they appeared 

 sporadically in April, May, and early June, seriously injuring gardens. 

 They were also observed in the field working on prickh' lettuce and 

 other weeds. In most cases they appear suddenly, practicall}^ destroy 

 the vegetation within ji certain area, then move on, and nothing more 

 is seen of them in that locality. In habits they are much like the 

 true chinch bugs, many of them remaining in the soil at the base of 

 the plant and quickly running into it when disturbed, so that it is 

 exceedingly difiicult to combat them successfully. This was observed 

 at Sabinal, where the nymphs attacked the young cotton l)ef ore it was 

 fairly out of the ground. 



Late in May Prof. H. A. Morgan, State entomologist of Louisiana, 

 forwarded specimens of this species collected b}' Mr. E. W. Dayton, 

 who reported them as seriously injuring cotton at Jonesville, La. 

 On June 15 Mr. Dayton wrote further: 



Just after receiving your first letter we had a hard rain, and that with the hot 

 sun caused most of the insects to disappear, but there are spots of about one-fourth 

 an acre scattered over the fields yet, and they are doing some damage. They dam- 

 aged about 75 acres, reducing the stand to about one-half on this. I noticed a spot 

 of about one-fourth an acre yesterday covered with them, and they seemed to be 

 doing the usual damage. 



It would seem, therefore, that this pest feeds on nearly all low- 

 growing vegetation. Its favorite food seems to be plants of the 



