22 THE SQUASH BUG 



Conradi are as follows: ^ When a squash bug nymph of the 

 fifth stage was suddenly introduced into a half pint, open, 

 wide-mouthed bottle containing a half-grown, live toad, so that 

 the batrachian would get the full effects of the pungent fumes 

 secreted by the bug, the toad was thrown into a temporary 

 stupor, the effect being similar to that of chloroform. As the 

 number of bugs was increased the effect on the toad was 

 increased. When as many as seven bugs were introduced the 

 toad fell into a profound stupor from the effects of which it 

 died in the course of twenty-four hours. 



On September S, an adult toad that had been kept in the 

 laboratory vivarium with a scant food supply for several days, 

 was placed in a quart jar of the same construction as the one 

 mentioned above, and eight bugs were introduced ; these bugs, 

 however, had been so much disturbed previously that the 

 source of the pungent secretion had been temporarily ex- 

 hausted. The toad hesitatingly devoured three, after which 

 she would remove with her front feet every specimen that 

 made an attempt to ascend the wall of her enclosure ; but 

 these bugs were not eaten. The toad was then transferred to 

 another jar of the same size and construction, and eight bugs 

 were suddenly introduced from the squash leaf so that the 

 animal would get the first and fullest eflects of the odor : the 

 result was that the toad went through a series of con- 

 tortions followed by a short period of stupor similar to that 

 mentioned before. Upon recovery the toad was again removed 

 to the vivarium where it now lives in partial hibernation. 



A young, red-spotted salamander was affected and killed as 

 easily as the half-grown toad, while for the common field frog 

 a greater number of bugs were required to bring about simi- 

 lar effects, the frogs also being killed. Many experiments 

 with snakes were tried, but no ill effects from the secretion of 

 the bugs were apparent. 



The odor that the bug secretes is contained in a clear, 

 slightly greenish liquid expelled from the extremity of the 

 alimentarv canal ; when it comes in contact with the air the 

 odor is given off' almost instantaneously while the liquid 

 remains to evaporate. 



^Science, Vol. XIV, /. 8i6, Nov. 22, 1901. 



