100 GENERAL ZOOLOGY 



predaceous, feeding on insects, worms, small fish, and tad- 

 poles. 



The terrestrial bugs in this suborder are common every- 

 where. The flower-bugs are small in size but often very 

 numerous on plants, where they lurk to catch minute 

 insects. The large assassin-bugs feed mostly on insects. 

 They pierce them with their strong beaks and suck the 

 juices. Some species, such as the one most often known 

 as a "kissing-bug," Reduvius personatus, are able to inflict 

 painful bites on man. The ambush bugs are colored like 

 flowers, and this enables them to capture small insects which 

 come to the blossoms they frequent. There are over 250 

 species of leaf bugs (Capsidce) in the United States, and many 

 are garden pests, though some are predaceous. The squash- 

 bug, Anasa trislis, is well hated by every 

 gardener, being a persistent enemy of 

 squashes. The chinch-bug, Blissus leucop- 

 terus, occurs throughout the United States 

 and in parts of Canada. It is particularly 

 abundant in dry seasons. The annual loss 

 in the United States due to this insect has 

 been estimated at $20,000,000. The stink- 



FIG. 40. The , ., . j , , , . , 



bed-bug. bugs are easily recognized by their char- 

 acteristic odor. Some species feed on 

 plants, others on insects. 



The bed-bug, Cimex lectularius (Fig. 49) is parasitic and 

 has the wings represented by very small scales. It lays its 

 eggs in cracks, nail holes, mattresses, under wall paper, 

 and in other suitable places. It is entirely nocturnal, 

 feeding while its victims slumber. Killing a bed-bug by 

 hand is no easy matter. The body is so flat that it can 

 stand considerable pressure without being injured. In 

 India and certain other warm countries the bed-bug car- 

 ries an important human disease known as kala-azar. 



Order 12. Neuroptera (Fig. 50). This is a small order 

 which, however, contains some very interesting insects. 

 All have four membranous wings with many "veins," 



