726 The Living Animals of the World 



Several species (chiefly foreign) among the Shield-bugs and the present group have a strong 

 spine, or else a blunt protuberance, projecting from each shoulder. 



The remaining plant-bugs are much more numerous at least in England than those 

 already mentioned, and form several families, which cannot be noticed in detail. Many species 

 are rather small and delicate creatures, narrower and softer than the Shield-bugs and Pentagonal 

 Shield-bugs, and are adorned with various colours, black and red predominating. Some have 

 more transparent wings than the others, such as the beautiful little LACE-WINGED BUGS, one 

 species of which is often very destructive to pear-trees. 



The BED-BUG is a reddish-brown, somewhat oval insect, common in many old houses, 

 hiding in cracks and crevices in walls and woodwork, and coming out at night to suck the 

 blood of sleepers with its sharp proboscis. There are ' allied species, sometimes found in 

 hen-houses, pigeon-houses, and places where bats congregate. The bed-bug has only been 

 known in England for a few centuries, and though now a great pest in all parts of the world, 

 was probably a native of Africa originally. 



The bed-bug, notwithstanding its offensive odour, is preyed upon by several other insects, 

 among which are the common cockroach and the MASKED BUG. The latter is a black-winged 

 bug about three-quarters of an inch long, and remarkable for the habits of its larva, which 



conceals itself with dust or fluff, so that it may steal upon its 

 prey unobserved. The masked bug and its larva feed on soft-bodied 

 insects of various kinds, and are more frequently found in outhouses 

 than in dwelling-rooms. This bug occasionally attacks warm-blooded 

 animals ; and a short time ago a great deal of nonsense was published 

 in the newspapers about a mysterious insect-pest in North America, 

 called the KISSING-BUG, which seems to have been nothing more 

 unusual than this insect. There are, however, some much larger species 

 belonging to the same family, which are formidable pests in the 

 Southern States of North America, Chili, and various other countries. 

 After these insects come the WATER-BUGS, of which there are 



Photo b> \v P DandoFz.s. several families, though the number of species is comparatively 



Regent' * Park. small. Some are very slender insects, with long, slender legs, 



MASKED BUG. and may be seen running on the surface of ponds in England ; 



The larvae of these insects cover while others, which are tropical species, are marine, and are met 



themselves with dust, in order to creep . , . . 



upon their prey unnoticed. with running on the surface oi the water in the open sea. 



The largest members of the group are some of the great 



water-bugs found in Africa, India, and America. Their fore wings are of a light brown, and 

 measure from 3 to 5 inches in expanse. Their legs are short and strong, and the front legs 

 are adapted for grasping their prey, which consists of insects and small fishes. There are some 

 smaller species in which the female lays her eggs in a cluster on the back of the male, which 

 carries them about till they are hatched. These bugs fly about in the evening, and are 

 frequently attracted by electric light. 



In England there are two allied species called WATER-SCORPIONS, from their long front 

 legs, which somewhat resemble the nippers of a scorpion. The commonest is a brown insect, 

 with the abdomen red beneath. It is about an inch long, including the breathing-tube, 

 which sticks out behind the body like a tail, and is formed of two separable parts. It is an 

 oval insect, half as broad as long, and is common in stagnant water. The other species is twice 

 as long, and is much more slender, with longer and more slender legs. It is yellowish brown, 

 like most of the other water-bugs, and is a sluggish and rather scarce insect, creeping about 

 in the mud at the bottom of deeper water than that preferred by the commoner species. 



The WATER-BOATMEN are yellowish-brown insects, measuring half an inch in length, with 

 smooth bodies, and long, hairy hind legs, with which they row themselves about on the 

 water, as if with oars, while floating on their backs. All the larger water-bugs are capable of 

 inflicting a severe puncture with their sharp proboscis, if handled incautiously. 



