PROBABLE ORIGIN AND DIFFUSION. Si 
and 1902 this maritime form destroyed the timothy in the vicinity of 
Reidsville, N. C. This is on the southern border of+imothy culture 
along the Atlantic coast, and some years ago an attempt was made to 
grow timothy in that section. The grass did very well until the above- 
mentioned attack occurred, and by 1905 there was but little remain- 
ing. Strangely, too, nowhere along the Atlantic coast do we find the 
short-winged individuals far inland until we reach New York and the 
New England States, and what is equally perplexing they do not there 
attack grain, but grass, whereas to the southward, except near the sea- 
coast, it is the grain fields that are devastated by the long-winged 
form. In other words, throughout New England, New York, north- 
eastern Ohio, northern Indiana, and the Dominion of Canada we have 
both the long and short winged individuals occurring together, but 
depredating almost or quite exclusively upon timothy (Phleuwm pra- 
tense). 
In Bulletin 17, old series, Division of Entomology, U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, Dr. L. O. Howard, the author, stated that in 
1886 a timothy meadow located near Wakeman, Huron County, Ohio, 
was considerably injured by chinch bugs. Since that time the species 
has never been reported from that section of the State, and the writer 
has found that depredations of that particular character are only 
committed by the more or less brachypterous race. This has been 
supposed to be largely confined to the northeastern portion of the 
State, though there seems to be no good reason why it should not 
appear in northwestern Ohio also. Owing to these facts this single 
occurrence in meadows, recorded by Doctor Howard, formerly puz- 
zled the writer greatly. 
During the fall of 1898 there came reports of very serious destruc- 
tion of meadows in Huron and Lorain counties, which lie contiguous 
to each other, the cause being attributed to the dry, hot weather. But 
an examination of the meteorological records for that section revealed 
the fact that there had been no weather condition sufficiently severe 
to affect timothy meadows in that way. A survey of the affected 
meadows during early spring of 1899 revealed the presence of great 
numbers of brachypterous chinch bugs hibernating in these meadows, 
and the problem was solved. The species had doubtless been doing 
more or less injury since 1886, entirely unknown to the farmer or any- 
one else, thus showing the extent to which its secluded life in 
meadows protects it from observation. This section of the State 
since 1886 has been more largely devoted to dairying, and the 
meadows are not as rapidly rotated with other crops as when the 
cereals were grown more extensively. 
«Extract from correspondence of Prof. Franklin Sherman, jr., State ento- 
mologist. 
26608—No. 69—07 6 
