Bess be sat See Sai UE SE at 
66. REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
sults : In three specimens of Hippodamia maculata no traces of Chinch 
Bugs were found, the food consisting of the spores of lichens, the 
pollen of Rag-weed, and traces of plant-lice. One-third of the food 
of Hippodamia convergens oe 111, fig. 7), (6 specamens examined) 
consisted of equal parts of Chinch Bugs and plant-lice. In four 
specimens of Hippodamia glacialis8 per cent. of the food was found 
to be Chinch Bugs, 18: per cent. plant-lice, and the rest vegetation. 
A single specimen of Coccinella 9-notata had eaten no insect food. 
Three specimens of Cycloneda sanguinea had eaten some plant-lice, 
but no Chinch Bugs. From these observations Professor Forbes 
concludes that it is possible that the Lady-birds were attracted — 
‘rather by the stores of fungi in the field than by the Chinch Bugs 
and plant-lice.” 
The Weeping Lace-winged Fly (Chrysopa plorabunda, Witch, Plate | 
Ili, tig. 11), described originally by Dr. Shimer as Chr. [llinotensis, 
_ has been found by Dr. Shimer todestroy the Chinch Bug. Professor 
Riley records the fact that the Insidious Flower-bug (Vriphleps in- 
sidiosus, Say, Plate III, fig. 12), an insect which is often found in 
company with the Chinch Bug and which has been mistaken for it in 
reality, feeds upon the pest. ‘This is the insect which wassent to Dr. 
Fitch as a Chinch Bug and which he described as Anthocoris pseu- 
dochinche in his second report. Professor Riley also records the 
fact that he has observed the Many-banded Robber (Milyas cine- 
tus, Fab. Plate II‘, fig. 8) in the act of preying upon the Chinch 
Bug, and Dr. Thomas considers this insect the most efficient of the 
insect enemies of the pest, 
Two of Professor Riley’s correspondents, in 1874, stated that ants 
destroyed the eggs of the Chinch Bugs, but the observation lacks 
scientific confirmation. Professor Forbes, in 1882, observed a small 
ant (Lasius flavus) in extraordinary numbers in fields of Broom- 
corn and Sorghum, and both he and a farmer, whom he does not 
mention by name, made each an independent observation upon an 
ant which was carrying off a Chinch Bug in its jaws, but repeated 
dissections of Ants found in such fields failed to show that they had 
fed on the bugs, 
Professor Forbes, in his 1382 report, adds to the list of observed 
insect enemies a common Ground-beetle—Agonoderus pallipes 
(comma), Fabr. fer aa III, fig. 10) of which, upon dissection, one- 
fifth of the total food was found to be Chinch Bugs. This is the 
insect figured upon Plate I of Bulletin 12 of the Division of Ento- 
mology, and which is there stated to destroy seed-corn in the ground, 
so that its beneficial qualities are offset by its injurious tendencies, 
The evidence of Dr, Shimer, Mr, Walsh, and others is quite suffi- 
cient to establish the fact that the Lady-bird and the Lace-winged 
Fly mentioned will feed upon the Chinch Bug, and Dr, Shimer’s eyi- 
dence in favor of the latter insect is particularly strong, His tes- 
timony as to the great abundance of the Lady-birds upon corn in- 
fested by Ohinch Bugs is, of course, only presumptive evidence of 
their good work in destroying this insect, It is unquestionable, 
however, thatthe Lady-birds prefer plant-lice to the Chinch Bugs, and 
in at least one instance which has been reported tous, when the Lady- 
birds were present upon corn in considerable numbers and when 
this erop was infested by the Chinch Bug, a careful study by the ob- 
server (Mr. Lawrence Bruner) showed that the Corn Aphis was also 
present and that the Lady-birds were feeding upon these latter, and 
did not; so far as he could see, touch the Chinch Bugs. Professor 
