38 ASSASSIN-BUGS. 
and the end of the scutellum is long and pointed. Dr. LeConte, 
who first described this species, says that it inflicts a most pain- 
ful wound, and that he has known its bite to be followed by 
very serious consequences, the patient not recovering from its 
effects for nearly a year. He also states his belief that the ac- 
counts we have of persons being bitten by spiders are based on 
stings of these or allied insects. 
The insect is illustrated in Fig. 29. Its normal food con- 
sists of insects in their larval and adult states, and it is well 
known that both the Rocky Mountain locust and the Colorado 
potato-beetles are killed by it. 
Opsicoetus personatus Linn. (Masked Bed-bug Hunter. Kiss- 
ing-bug). 
This insect suddenly sprang into prominence about a year 
ago by being called the “Kissing-bug,” and many wonderful 
accounts of it appeared in our newspapers. Perhaps some of 
them were founded upon facts, but the great majority of them 
were nothing but the inventions of the fertile brains of report- 
ers, who vied with each other to invent the biggest stories. But 
the insect is bad enough! It normally enters houses, where it 
and its active young feed upon the bed-bugs, to which they 
are welcome. In its immature stages it has the body covered 
with a sticky substance, to which adhere all kinds of small par- 
ticles found in bed-rooms, mainly dust. Even legs and feelers 
are so covered that they are masked, hence the name. When 
at rest it hides in dark corners in the room. Besides sucking 
blood it also feeds upon flies and other insects. Dr. LeConte, 
in writing of this insect, states that it is remarkable for the in- 
tense pain caused by its bite; when caught and unskillfully 
handled it always bites. In this case the pain is almost equal 
to that of the bite of a poisonous snake, and the swelling and 
irritation which result from it will sometimes last for a week. 
In very weak and irritable constitutions it may even prove 
fatal. 
The insect, illustrated in Fig. 30, measures a little over half 
an inch in length; is black or very dark brown; its prothorax 
