422 HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



sides, and in a week all traces of the cellulitis are usually 

 gone." Davidson treated the cases with a solution of 

 corrosive sublimate, 1 to 500 or 1 to 1000, applied to the 

 affected portion. It would seem from a careful study of 

 the species from the Southwest by Heidemann, that the 

 more common species in that region is the Rasahus tho- 

 racicus. 



Probably the best known of all these bugs, at least so 

 far as its life history goes, is the blood-sucking cone-nose, 

 Conorhinus sanguisugus. In the Southwest it is known as 

 the Mexican bedbug or, simply, the big bedbug. It is 

 common in houses and its bite seems to be very severe and 

 painful. It is confined to the Southern and Western 

 states. 



LeConte in describing this insect says: "This insect, . . . 

 inflicts a most painful wound. It is remarkable also for 

 sucking the blood of mammals, particularly of children. I 

 have known its bite followed by very serious consequences, 

 the patient not recovering from the effects for nearly a 

 year." We might add that we have found the large 

 nymphs of this bug in Mississippi attacking young chickens 

 and causing serious injury. Miss Kimball reports the 

 same habits of the bug and adds that when abundant they 

 attack horses in barns. 



The cone-nose is a large bug about an inch long with a 

 flat brownish body. The edges of the abdomen, which 

 are thin and project on each side beyond the wings, are 

 variegated with pink and dark areas, as shown in the draw- 

 ing (Fig. 146). The head is long, narrow, pointed, and 

 furnished with a strong beak. It is a nocturnal insect 

 and often flies into rooms through the open windows at 

 night. 



