T|IE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The Chinch Bus thw ^eu h i^ iiiiiud t _uitmuiy 

 licUIsof coin 111 tin luuhldli 1 in I 1 iiti ilmte the 

 fiiihire of onr \\ li it i i t lli mi in I Ihccais 

 became do id |u t wli ii th I i h 1 lli I mil wis 

 forming, th it i \\li ii th 1 m 1 \\ i m tli llulk^ 

 stiite. As the < hiiu li Jin, « is m oni %\ hi it hclds 1>\ 

 millions, I suppoae that iii conspqueiu e ot its absti vet 

 ing the sip ot the phnt the c us could not till 



Tims It appeals tint tluoughoiit a lii^cdis 

 tiii-t of Southern Illinois whcie thcie wis 

 lonjr-coiitiniied cli ought duiuy the suinimi of 

 ISIJS, the Chinch Bu^ was vci\ nitmeious and 

 vei-y destructive that summer. On the con- 

 trary, in Northern Illinois, which did not expe- 

 rience any scarcity of seasonable rains in the 

 summer of 1SG8, there was no complaint what- 

 ever of tlie Cliineb Bug, although a few solitary 

 specimens were noticed there that summer even 

 on the extreme northern verge of the State, 

 as, for example, by Mr. Elisha Gridley, at 

 Half Day, Lake Co. 



The above quoted cases will probably 

 be enough to satisfy the reader, as to the 

 truth of the common old-fashioned theory, 

 the fallaciousness of Dr. Shimor's new-fangled 

 notion, and the unreliability of that genlleman's 

 entomological prophecies. But, if necessary, 

 it would be easy to multiply such communica- 

 tions as these from other sources; and we have 

 ourselves, in the course of our peregiiuations 

 through Southern and Central Illinois, heard of 

 other such cases in other counties. It is cer- 

 tainly most unfortunate for the scientific repu- 

 tation of a naturalist, that after he had pledged 

 that reputation in February upon (he assertion, 

 that the Chinch Bug could never swarm as it 

 used to do in Illinois for many years to come, 

 (he little rascal should be provoking enough to 

 do so only six months afterwards ! We fear, 

 however, that, in spile of the notorious falsiti- 

 cation of his prophecies, the prophet will blame 

 us greatly for " tilling our pages with the unre- 

 liable and worthless sayings of incorrect ob- 

 servers, chiefly correspondents." But, for our 

 own part, we must say th.at we set much more 

 store by ten Hues of plain facts from the pen of a 

 practical farmer than by a whole printed volume 

 of physiological speculations from a Doctor of 

 Medicine, about " the precipitation of walery 

 vapor in the bronchial tubes of a Chinch Bug."' 



[TO I!E COXCLDDED IS OUK NttXT XUMHEI1 ] 



Ey As some of our exchuhges may wish to 

 illustrate any article they may copy from the 

 Amkuican Entomologist, wc have decided to 

 furnish electrotypes of our wood cuts, at one- 

 half the cost of engraving; these electrotypes to 

 be retained by the parties receiving them, if 

 thev desire it." 



THE GR\PK BERRY MOTH 



{Pentkma vitivorana 1 icl u 1 ) 

 [Fi^ 1 ] 





It is surprising to notice what a great change 

 sometimes takes place in the fauna and tiora of 

 a newly settled country like our own, in the 

 short space, even, of a single decade of years. 

 It is a well known fact among botanists that a 

 great many of our indigenous North American 

 plants have already become almost, if 

 not quite extinct, while other species and 

 varieties have taken their places; and the 

 entomologist who collects, for a dozen years, 

 in one and the same locality — no matter how 

 limited that locality may be — is pretty sure to 

 tind new species every year, while many 

 of those which he first found in abundance 

 either become rare or disappear entirely. 

 The late Dr. Harris, writing to Mr. 

 Edward Newman, in 1844, remarked: "Were 

 I to be required to say in one word 

 What is the System of Nature ? I should say. 

 Variety;" and if a second word were to be 

 added, we think that word should be, Change ! 

 Scarcely a year passes but some new iusect 

 foe suddenly makes its appearance amongst 

 us ; and were it not for the fact that the rav- 

 ages of others are at the same time abating, 

 the destruction which they unitedly would 

 cause would be intolerable. 



The insect which forms the suliji'ct of this 

 article may be cited as an illustiation of such a 

 sudden appearance in many diflerent parts of 

 the country, for until last year no account of it 

 had ever been published, and it was entirely 

 uuknowu to science. It had, however, been 

 observed at Hudson, Oliio, for three or four 

 years past, by Mr. M. C. Read, of that place, 

 and several gentlemen Avho live in dill'erent 

 parts of Missouri and South Illinois have 

 informed us that they have also been acquainteil 

 with it for about that number of years, though 

 they all testify that it has gadually been on the 

 increase, and that it was never so numerous as 

 last year. Last summer we rocoived specimens 



