THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



83 



small greenish-gray bug of which I present herewith a highly magni- 

 fied figure (Fig. 8), its true size being about the same as that of the 

 Chinch Bug for which it has been mistaken, though it lacks altogether 

 the conspicuous black and white markings which characterize that 

 [Fig. 8.] little grain pest, and really resembles it in nothing but 

 the unpleasant odor Which it emits. In the summer of 

 1868, Col. F. Hecker, of St. Clair county, Illinois (See 

 Am. Entomologist, I, p. 19), found an insect, which he 

 mistook for the Chinch Bug, destroying the blossom 

 buds of his grape-vines. Now as the Ash- gray Leaf- 

 bug is known to work in this way on the Grape-vine, 

 and as I found it abundant in Col. Foster's vineyard, on 

 the Iron Mountain Railroad in this State, it was doubt- 

 less this species which injured Col. Becker's vines ; for 

 (he true Chinch Bug has never hitherto been observed to attack 

 woody plants like the Grape-vine, but confines itself exclusively to 

 herbaceous plants, such as wheat, oats, Indian corn, etc. The Ash- 

 gray Leaf-bug belongs to an entirely different group from the Chinch 

 Bug (Tingis family) all the species of which have a short 3-jointed 

 beak, which however differs from that of the 3-jointed beak of the 

 Flower-bugs (Anthocoris) by being encased in a groove when not in 

 use. They mostly live on green leaves in all their three stages, after 

 the fashion of plant lice. Like the Chinch Bug, the Ash-gray Leaf- bug 

 hybernates in the perfect state, and may be found in the winter in 

 considerable numbers under the loose bark of standing trees and es- 

 pecially under that of the Shag-bark Hickory. 



With the exception of the Ash-gray Leaf-bug, there is no North 

 American species belonging to the genus, that is known to attack 

 fruit; trees or fruit-bearing bushes or vines ; though there are several 

 that infest forest trees — each species generally confining itself to a 

 particular genus of trees. But in Europe there is a species, the Pear- 

 tree Leaf-bug {Tingis pyri) which is so injurious to the Pear, that 

 the French gardeners have given it the name of " the Tiger." It is to 

 be hoped that it may never, like another European pest of pear- 

 growers, the Pear-tree Flea-louse (Psylla pyri) — which has already 

 been introduced into the New England States, and will perhaps make 

 its way out West — traverse the Atlantic ocean and take out its natu- 

 ralization papers in this country. 



The Flea-like Negro-bug. — Third among the bogus Chinch Bugs 

 may be mentioned the Flea-like Negro-bug (Corimelmna pulicaria, 

 [Fig. 9] Germar), of which I here present a magnified out- 



line (Fig. 9). Its color is black with a white 

 stripe each side. This insect resembles the Chinch 

 '* Bug in having an ordinary 4-jointed beak, but 

 'j^V-differs from it in belonging to a very distinct 

 and well marked group (Scutellera family), which 

 characterized by the enormous size of the "scutel" or shield. 



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