138 THE STUDY OF INSECTS. 



Family NABID.E (Nab'i-dae). 

 The Damsel-bugs. 



We have called the members of this family the Damsel- 

 bugs for want of a better name, " little girl " being the mean- 

 ing of Coriscus, the scientific name of our most common 

 genus. 



Figure 161 represents a wing-cover of a member of this 

 family, and will illustrate the venation char- 

 acteristic of it, although in some species the 

 wings are usually rudimentary. We have two 

 F.G. 161. common members of this family, one blonde 

 and the other black. 



The Blonde Damsel-bug, Coriscus ferus(Co-ris'cus fe'rus), 

 is about one-third inch in length, and pale yellow, with nu- 

 merous minute brown dots. This species is widely distrib- 

 uted, both in this country and in Europe. It 

 secretes itself in flowers or among the foliage of 

 various herbaceous plants, and captures small in- 

 sects, upon which it feeds. There are several 

 other species that closely resemble this one. 



The Black Damsel-bug, Coriscus subcoleoptratus FIG. 

 (sub-co-le-op-tra'tus) (Fig. 162), is very common in s 

 the Northern States. It is of a shining jet-black 

 color, with the edge of the abdomen and the legs yellowish. 

 Usually this species has very short, rudimentary wings, but 

 a form with long wings is sometimes found. 



Family PHYMATID^E (Phy-mat'i-dae). 

 The Ambush-bugs. 



The most common member of this family is Phytnata 

 wolffii (Phy-ma'ta wolf i-i) (Fig. 163). It is a greenish 

 insect, with a black band across the broadly expanded 

 abdomen. It conceals itself in flowers, and captures 

 FIG. i6 3 . the insects which come to sip nectar. It is espe- 

 woiffii. cially abundant among the flowers of the golden-rod. 



