﻿— 
  99 
  — 
  

  

  of 
  peas 
  and 
  Lima 
  beans, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  particularly 
  injurious 
  to 
  corn, 
  

   attacking 
  plants 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  in 
  diameter 
  so 
  heavily 
  as 
  to 
  cause 
  

   them 
  to 
  wilt 
  and 
  break 
  down. 
  It 
  has 
  become 
  locally 
  very 
  destructive 
  

   to 
  wheat 
  also, 
  infesting 
  the 
  heads 
  when 
  the 
  kernel 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  milk. 
  At 
  

   least 
  four 
  thousand 
  acres 
  of 
  grain 
  were 
  thus 
  destroyed 
  in 
  South 
  Dakota. 
  

  

  This 
  insect 
  is 
  irregular 
  broad-oval 
  in 
  form, 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  

   length 
  by 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  wide. 
  During 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  

   it 
  is 
  uniformly 
  green 
  except 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  scutellum 
  and 
  a 
  narrow 
  

   band 
  along 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  thorax, 
  which 
  are 
  a 
  light 
  straw-yellow. 
  

   There 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  few 
  white 
  flakings 
  over 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  

   Later 
  the 
  color 
  changes 
  through 
  light 
  olive 
  to 
  dark 
  red, 
  and, 
  finally, 
  to 
  

   dark 
  magenta 
  with 
  occasionally 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  indefinite 
  patches 
  of 
  black 
  

   on 
  the 
  thorax. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  layer 
  of 
  from 
  twenty 
  to 
  

   fifty. 
  They 
  are 
  white 
  and 
  perfectly 
  smooth, 
  the 
  free 
  end 
  opening 
  by 
  a 
  

   cap-like 
  valve. 
  

  

  The 
  life 
  history 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  well 
  made 
  out. 
  In 
  

   fall 
  the 
  adults 
  burrow, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  into 
  the 
  soft 
  earth 
  under 
  

   weeds 
  and 
  rubbish, 
  sometimes 
  going 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  eight 
  inches 
  under 
  ground, 
  

   and 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  observed 
  three 
  feet. 
  They 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  

   crevices 
  and 
  under 
  bark, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  in 
  piles 
  of 
  manure. 
  In 
  late 
  

   March 
  and 
  early 
  April 
  they 
  appear 
  in 
  South 
  Dakota 
  under 
  weeds 
  and 
  

   rubbish, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  begin 
  laying 
  eggs, 
  which 
  hatch 
  within 
  a 
  

   fortnight. 
  By 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June 
  the 
  half-grown 
  young 
  begin 
  to 
  over- 
  

   spread 
  the 
  fields 
  and 
  injure 
  cultivated 
  plants. 
  By 
  July 
  loth 
  the 
  adult 
  

   stage 
  was 
  reached 
  in 
  1897, 
  and 
  the 
  bugs 
  began 
  to 
  gather 
  on 
  the 
  wheat. 
  

   About 
  August 
  ist 
  eggs 
  for 
  a 
  second 
  brood 
  were 
  laid 
  on 
  various 
  plants, 
  

   especially 
  the 
  Russian 
  thistle, 
  wheat, 
  and 
  corn 
  stalks, 
  the 
  thistles 
  being 
  

   sometimes 
  conspicuously 
  whitened 
  by 
  continuous 
  layers 
  of 
  the 
  eggs. 
  

   The 
  adults 
  of 
  this 
  generation 
  commonly 
  hibernate. 
  They 
  have, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  in 
  confinement 
  laid 
  eggs 
  in 
  November 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  year. 
  These 
  

   facts 
  show 
  clearly 
  the 
  dangerous 
  character 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  with 
  respect 
  

   to 
  any 
  vegetation 
  which 
  it 
  freely 
  feeds 
  upon. 
  

  

  THE 
  NEGRO-BUGS 
  {CorimelcBnidce). 
  

  

  The 
  Common 
  Negro-bug. 
  

  

  CorimelcBna 
  pulicaria 
  Germ. 
  

  

  This 
  extremely 
  abundant 
  and 
  widespread 
  little 
  insect, 
  about 
  a 
  tenth 
  

   of 
  an 
  inch 
  across, 
  nearly 
  hemispherical, 
  shining 
  black, 
  occurs 
  through- 
  

   out 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  fall 
  upon 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  vegetation, 
  including 
  farm 
  

   crops 
  and 
  common 
  weeds, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  occasionally 
  found 
  by 
  us 
  on 
  the 
  

   sugar 
  beet. 
  It 
  bears 
  a 
  strong 
  general 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  small 
  black 
  lady- 
  

   bugs, 
  but 
  is 
  peculiar 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  fore 
  wings 
  are 
  reduced 
  to 
  narrow 
  

  

  