ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 



[The Conductors of Entomological News solicit and will thankfully receive items 

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Philadelphia, Pa,, May, 1900. 



Now that warm weather is approaching and insects awaken- 

 ing from a Winter's sleep, the newspaper paragrapher groweth 

 restive, and we are beginning to see signs of the revival of last 

 Summer's "hum-bug" stories. 



Doubtless when Noah corraled the animals in the ark he 

 picked up some insects with tongs — just as crabs are handled 

 at the sea shore. Since that time it has been known that a 

 few insects bite and that a few sting, but a person who did 

 not know anything about entomological literature would think 

 that all such knowledge was acquired last Summer. This ap- 

 plies particular!}^ to certain Heteroptera, which have been 

 called "kissing bugs." Of course there are no such things as 

 "kissing bugs," the whole of this nonsence having originated 

 with a Wa.shington, D. C, newspaper. Insects attack the 

 most convenient point of the human body, and each individual 

 bitten or stung could logically call the insect hurting his feel- 

 ings, from the part of his anatomy attacked. The small boy 

 who inadvertently sits on a yellow jacket's nest would have 

 equal rights with the mythical personage bitten on the lip by 

 a bug. We also find that even entomologists use the terms 

 bite and sting interchangeably, whereas insects bite with one 

 end and sting with the other. 



Now let us inquire what a kiss is. Webster says "to salute 



