166 CHINCH-BUOS. 



thrown in piles, were apparently dead, and that most, if not all of them, 

 were really dead, and not merely torpid from cold, was proved by his 

 experiments of bringing them into a warm room, and failing to resusci- 

 tate them. Now, the question is, what had caused the destruction of 

 this large proportion of these insects? Were these the old bugs 

 which had lived through the preceding winter, and which were now 

 dying off — having fulfilled the ends of their existence? The analogy 

 of insects, in general, would lead us to believe that the bugs of the 

 former year perish much earlier in the season, soon after having de- 

 posited their eggs, and, therefore, that these were the bugs of the pres- 

 ent season. We have not at present the requisite knowledge to discuss 

 this matter satisfactorily. We only refer to it as an interesting field 

 for future inquiries. Perhaps the key to the whole question will be 

 found in the fact that the Chinch-bug is more a southern than a north- 

 ern insect. Their ravages were recorded in Virginia and North Caro- 

 lina many years before they made their way into these more northern 

 sections. It would seem highly probable, therefore, that our northern 

 winters must be incougenial to their natures, and often fatal to them. 

 If this be so, we may expect that after a very cold winter, or even one 

 of ordinary severity, but where there has been a scarcity of snow, the 

 Chinch-bugs will have been so far destroyed as to be harmless for a 

 number of succeeding years. And yet, the general fact that Chinch- 

 bugs do survive our northern winters to a ruinous extent, is too patent 

 to permit us to base our conduct upon any such speculations as the 

 above, unless the truth of them shall be confirmed by future observa- 

 tion. The experience of the next year will be very interesting, in this 

 point of view, more especially as the past summer has been a very dry 

 one over a great part of the western country; and. therefore, if Chinch- 

 bugs prove not to be destructively numerous next year, we shall be 

 forced to account for their destruction by the operation of some other 

 cause than the summer rains, to which their sudden disappearance, in 

 former years, has been exclusively attributed. • 



