OTHER INSECTS. 203 



The ''Electric-light Bug'' or The Giant Water-hug {Ben- 

 acus griseus Say, fig. 167) is a well-known bug that can in- 

 flict very severe bites and in handling them the proper pre- 

 caution should be taken to hold the insect in such a way 



Fig. 16S. — Lojiidea me:!ia Say. Greatly enlarged. Original. 



that it can not use its short beak. Their bite is very pois- 

 onous, and whenever they bite a fish this almost imme- 

 diately dies. 



Unexpected things are apt to occur, and insects that are 

 usually found only upon plants may develope a taste for 

 blood. While camping for a few days upon an island largely 

 covered with wild gooseberries, the insect illustrated in fig. 

 168 was frequently observed upon these plants, where it 

 seemed to feed, like all its near relatives, upon the sap. But 

 soon after, the persons living in the camp were bitten very 

 frequently by these bugs, and their bite caused considerable 

 pain and swellings of the bitten part. The bugs would imbibe 

 blood until barely able to fly. But as if to prove their love 

 for human blood they even invaded the tent, and large num- 

 bers of them were killed to prevent them from biting. The 

 insect (Zojjklce media Say) is a rather brightly-colored bug, 

 beinsr vellowish-red marked with black. 



