ip 
Sixth Annual Report. 14 
1865 by Dr. Henry Shimer, of Mt. Carroll, Ill. On this point Shimer says: ‘The 
parent chinch-bug is occupied about twenty days in laying her eggs, during 
which time she probably lays about 500 eggs and then dies.’ 
‘‘From Mr. Johnson’s report of the experiments above mentioned, we learn 
that a single female chinch-bug kept under the most favorable conditions may 
deposit as many as 237 eggs, but probably few, if any, more; that the egg-laying 
period lasts about forty days, or double the number above given; that pairing 
takes place, in the summer generation, from four to five days after the female 
sheds her pupal skin; that the first eggs are laid in two or three days after pair- 
ing, six to eight days after the pupal skin is cast; that the average length of life 
of the adult female of the summer generation is about fifty days, and that of the 
male about seventy eight days; that the female pairs very frequently, perhaps 
every day, during the egg-laying season; and that the eggs may hatch in from 
eighteen to twenty-one days after deposition, or an average of about twenty days. 
‘‘The disappearance of the chinch-bug after a season of extraordinary abun- 
dance is most commonly attributed to the immediate effect of wet weather, and no 
general idea concerning its economy is more firmly fixed than the supposition that 
even ordinary summer rains will destroy it outright. Nevertheless, no precise 
investigation of its ability to endure submergence has ever been reported, and 
this supposition is really based on superficial observation. The results of our 
experiments on this point may be summed up as follows: 
‘*Chinch-bugs just emerged from the egg will survive a complete immersion of 
one to three hours; young of the first molt, three to five hours; of the second 
molt, six to nine hours; and of the third molt (pupz), eight to thirteen hours. 
Adults of the summer generation will live under water from twelve to twenty-two 
hours, and those of the fall generation have revived after thirty to fifty-four 
hours’ complete submergence. 
‘*Chinch-bugs just emerged may live floating on the surface of water seven 
hours, while those of the second molt may revive after twenty-three hours. Bugs 
of the second molt have lived two and a half days under such conditions; those 
of the third molt (pupz), three and three-fourths days; and adults, about fifteen 
days. Chinch-bugs have even molted while in this situation, the wings and 
crust of the adult hardening, as if the insect were free.’’ 
On the spontaneous occurrence of the Sporotrichum disease 
the same author says: * 
‘* Notwithstanding the prevalent droughts of 1891, 1892, and 1893, and tle con- 
sequent absence of any considerable outbreak of contagious disease among chinch- 
bugs, as well as the failure of all our attempts at the artificial introduction of 
white muscardine in Illinois, a sufficient number of fungus-covered specimens 
were found from time to time in widely separated places to show the presence of 
that disease in here and there a locality. Sporotrichum globuliferum seems, 
in fact, very commonly, if sparingly, present among insects in this latitude in a 
condition to give local origin to this fungus attack whenever favoring circum- 
stances supervene.’’ 
Doctor Forbes summarizes the results of investigation of 
Sporotrichum, as follows : Tt 
**1. While muscardine of the chinch-bug is a contagious disease due to para- 
sitism by the fungus species Sporotrichum globuliferum, it affects a large num- 
*Tbid., p. 25. 7 Ibid., p. 29. 
