﻿78 
  

  

  In 
  nearly 
  every 
  case 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  bugs 
  received 
  

   were 
  dead 
  when 
  they 
  came 
  in, 
  having 
  died, 
  of 
  course, 
  in 
  transit, 
  and 
  

   being 
  consequently 
  ([uite 
  fresh 
  ui)on 
  their 
  arrival. 
  The 
  failure 
  of 
  

   the 
  fungus 
  to 
  spread 
  among 
  these 
  dead 
  bugs 
  after 
  its 
  appearance 
  in 
  

   onr 
  fruit-jars 
  shows 
  that 
  dead 
  insects 
  do 
  not 
  furnish 
  a 
  suitable 
  sub- 
  

   -^tratum 
  for 
  its 
  growth 
  except 
  when 
  recently 
  dead. 
  Indeed, 
  we 
  have 
  

   not 
  at 
  present 
  any 
  evidence 
  that 
  this 
  fungus 
  will 
  grow 
  on 
  a 
  chinch- 
  

   bug 
  which 
  has 
  died 
  from 
  natural 
  causes 
  other 
  than 
  drowning, 
  or 
  

   similar 
  sudden 
  accidents 
  which 
  leave 
  the 
  tissues 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  in 
  sub- 
  

   stantially 
  normal 
  condition. 
  Certainly 
  if 
  sufficient 
  time 
  elapses 
  

   between 
  death 
  and 
  infection 
  for 
  bacterial 
  disorganization, 
  the 
  

   muscardine 
  fungus 
  cannot 
  make 
  a 
  start: 
  and 
  when 
  we 
  remember 
  

   that 
  every 
  chinch-bug 
  has 
  in 
  the 
  co^ca 
  of 
  its 
  alimentary 
  canal 
  an 
  im- 
  

   mense 
  store 
  of 
  living 
  bacteria, 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  interval 
  of 
  freedom 
  

   from 
  p()sf-hiorte))t 
  decomposition 
  must 
  be 
  very 
  brief. 
  In 
  short, 
  not- 
  

   withstanding 
  our 
  experimental 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  susceptibility 
  of 
  

   the 
  freshly 
  killed 
  chinch-bug 
  to 
  invasion 
  by 
  Sporotrichum, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  

   think 
  it 
  probable 
  that 
  insects 
  found 
  dead 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  imbedded 
  

   in 
  this 
  fungus 
  liave 
  very 
  fr(H~[uently 
  been 
  infected 
  after 
  death. 
  

  

  