THE MEXICAN FRt'IT WORM. 169 



flattened on the under side and at the ends, and are closely applied end 

 to end, forming- a stiff, cylindrical rod in which each egg appears as a 

 joint or cell. The young issue through a large bole eaten in the upper 

 side of the egg. 



The normal food of this bug in the South is a large Thistle, upon the 

 heads of which young and old may be found clustering and sucking the 

 juices of the plant. The young bugs are 

 rarely found in Florida except upon the 

 Thistle, or similar succulent plants, but 

 the adult bugs, being strong on the 

 wing, make excursions to very great 

 distances, and enter the orange groves 

 at the time of blooming, to suck the 

 opening buds or tender shoots. Again 

 they may be iound attacking the ripen- 

 ing fruit, and causing it to drop in con- 

 sequence of their punctures. The dam- 

 age done in this way is often very con- 

 siderable, and in some reported cases 

 has amounted to an almost total loss of 

 the crop. 



..... ., ,. ~F\G.l%.Lepto(jlossuspTiyllopus. (Original.) 



Like many bugs of this iamily, they 



are particularly active in hot weather, and it is then very difficult to 

 get within reach of the adult insects, as they take wing readily and 

 fly away. But in cool or cloudy weather they are more sluggish and 

 may easily be found and killed by hand-picking, or by knocking them, 

 into a bag or net with a stick. 



Where Thistles are abundant this bug is sure to prove a serious 

 pest, as the Thistles form a propagating ground from which they spread 

 to a distance. A single large patch of Thistles has been known to infect 

 a wide area, but when these were cut down and destroyed, the bugs in 

 time disappeared from the groves in the neighborhood and gave no fur- 

 ther trouble. 



THE MEXICAN FRUIT WORM. 



An unknown worm, of perhaps an inch in length, is said to be very 

 destructive to oranges in Mexico. It penetrates the fruit to the core, 

 and feeds upon the pulp, both fresh and after it has begun to rot in con- 

 sequence of the attack. 



A few years ago a very large percentage of the oranges sold in the 

 markets at Yera Cruz contained these worms, and were entirely uneat- 

 able. It is said that no mark upon the outside of the fruit reveals the 

 presence of the worm within, 



In the absence of any definite knowledge in regard to this insect, it 

 is only possible to point out the danger of its introduction first into the 



