140 The Amateur's Book of the Dahlia 



and chews, though the chewing is so slight that 

 the use of arsenate of lead has little value. His 

 back is so hard that it is impossible to penetrate 

 it with nicotine, and there is little left that we 

 may do but hand picking. He coquettes around 

 the back of the stem when he sees you, and is 

 hard to find, but it is your face he is watching, 

 not your hand. Hold a pot of kerosene and with 

 a quick motion of the hand from behind knock 

 him in. Handle him with gloves, however. He 

 has a pair of horns with a vicious prick to leave 

 the fingers sore for several hours after. 



Late in the summer there are times when we 

 suddenly find a young leaf or two high up near 

 a blossom turned brown and crisp, or the stem 

 of a bud grown limp and black. Shake the bush 

 and there arises a perfume whereby we quickly 

 recognize the "Stink Bug" of unholy fame. A 

 large brown beast he is, from one half to one 

 inch in length, cousin to a pole-cat maybe, and 

 so sure of protection by his evil smell that he 

 scarcely bothers to move at your approach. 



Touch him not with the hands or his memory 

 will lurk with you for some time. My weapon 

 is a pair of pointed scissors with which he is 

 quickly snipped in two. He may also be dropped 

 into the kerosene can if you run across him when 

 on a "Buffalo Hunt." 



