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order, and general appearance were mistaken for the chinch-bug (Miecro- 
pus leucopterus) by many of the residents. This mistaken identity in 
the case of thesé insects was the occasion for much apprehension, as it 
well might have been had that insect put in its appearance in such 
great numbers so early in the year. These “false chinch-bugs,” for 
such they were, began work by attacking the weeds and everything 
else that was green growing in the fields which were infested. The 
weeds soon disappeared and the insects transferred their attention 
to apple, catalpa, mulberry, and other small trees. But by far the great- 
est injury was done to grape-vines. They were all small, and were kept 
divested of every vestige of new growth for a time, and looked as if 
the vines never would be green. 
The three insects which united in these demonstrations were the fol- 
lowing: the False Chinch-bug (Nysius angustatus), the Purslane bug 
(Geocoris bullata), and a species that is quite common here in the West 
among various rank-growing herbs and weed-like plants, and is known 
to the entomologist as’ Trapezonotus nebulosus. 
The first named of these was by far the most numerous, and if work- 
ing singly would have occasioned nearly the same amount of damage 
as did the three. The second and the last named were present in 
nearly equal numbers, perhaps the last being the commoner of the two. 
All three species gathered upon the main stems and larger branches of 
the trees and even in clusters upon the scattered remnants of the last 
year’s vegetation. They were pretty well scattered over the fields, but 
appeared to be most numerous upon some hill-slopes where they had 
been attracted during early spring and late fall by the warm sunshine. 
These clusters of bugs were composed of individuals of all ages and 
sizes, ranging from those apparently but a few days old to those fully 
matured and winged. An investigation soon disclosed the reason for 
their abundance in this particular locality. Last year these fields had 
been permitted to grow up in weeds after the spring cultivation. These 
weeds, purslane, tickle-grass, stink-grass, and tumble-weeds, made a 
splendid retreat for the bugs to gather, feed, and breed in, and afterwards 
to winterin. The present spring being dry weeds and grasses were slow 
in starting. Not so with the bugs. Eggs were laid at the usual time, 
these hatched and the little bugs soon exhausted what green vegeta- 
tion there was for them to feed upon, and which was very slow in ap- 
pearing on account of lack of the necessary amount of moisture. The 
trees and vines being deeper rooted sent out their buds and green leaves. 
These attracted the hungry hordes of bugs, and were at once attacked 
in bud, leaf, and stem, the bugs inserting their beaks and extracting 
the sap. The consequence was the injury spoken of above. 
As a remedy against the destruction of the grape-vines I suggested 
covering the vines, which were small ones, with dirt fora week or ten 
days until weeds had an opportunity to grow, after which time there 
would no longer be danger, andas a preventive for the future to keep 
down the weeds in late summer, especially when the season is a dry one. 
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