ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



291 



181) Avas found dcvouviiig its larvas,* and though 

 hitlierto considered rare tliis Labia has sud- 

 denly fallen upon it the present year in many 

 parts of Missouri. During a recent trip along the 

 Missouri Bottom we found this cannibal very 

 abundant in some potato liclds belonging to Mr. 

 Wm. Coleman, where it was actively engaged in 

 destroying both the eggs and larvje of the Potato 

 Beetles. The head, thorax and legs of this 

 cannibal arc yellowish-brown, in high contrast 

 with its dark-blue wing-covers. 



This makes fourteen conspicuous enemies of 

 oui' Colorado Potato Beetle wliich we have 

 ligured, and a dozen more, mostly of small size 

 and inconspicuous markings, might easily be 

 adilod to the list. Moreover, chickens have 

 Iciuned to relish the eggs, and have even acquired 

 a taste for the young larva?. 80 wc need not 

 wiinder that the array is being decimated in those 

 States first invaded by it. 



BOGUS EXPERIMENTS. 



It was recently reported to us that a neighbor 

 had succeeded in driving away all liis Potato 

 bugs by strewing Elder branches among the 

 vines. We went to examine the field, and found 

 our friend enthusiastic over his discovery ; and 

 indeed, though the vines were nearly devoured, 

 there were but a few full grown lai-v* to be 

 found. But, as he could not tell us what had 

 lii'come of the "slugs," we undertook to show 

 him wlierc they had gone, and after digging a 

 few moments with a trowel, unearthed dozens 

 of tliem, the majority in the pupa, but a few yet 

 in (lie larva state. Our neighbor bad, in fact, 

 been misled by appearances, for want of better 

 knowledge of his enemy. The lai-vos as they 

 ac(|uircd their growth suddenly became so de- 

 structive, that to save his vines he was obliged 

 to try some means of killing them, and as an 

 experiment he tried the Elder. The laiTiB were 

 just ready to disapi^car of their own accord, and 

 as tlie great bulk of them did really disappear in 

 two or three days after the application, the appa- 

 rently logical inference was made that they had 

 been driven away by the smell of the Elder. 



llow many of the published remedies that 

 flood the country owe their origin to just such 

 defective proof ! The sun-scorching remedy, 

 which consists of knocking the bugs ofl' the vines 

 on to the heated ground between the rows, and 

 which has been so often recommended the present 

 year, partakes a good deal of tliis character ; for 

 it can only be of benefit in a very dry season, and 

 at a time of year when the bugs have done most 

 of their damage. A goodl)' proportion of the 

 larvoe that arc thus knocked oft' will alwavs 



'DepU ofAgr. Kep. 1808, i 



manage to burrow into the ground and trans- 

 form, or to get back upon the vines ; and 



THE TRUE REMEDY 



consists in preventing them from becoming 

 numerous so late in the season. "Watch for the 

 beetles in early spring, when the vines are just 

 peeping out of the ground. Ensnare as many of 

 them as you can befoi'C they get a chance to pair, 

 by making a few small heai^s of potatoes in the 

 field planted : to these the beetles will be attracted 

 for food, and you can easily kill them in the 

 morning. Keep an eagle eye for the eggs which 

 arc first deposited. Cultivate well, by frequently 

 stirring the soil. Surround your fields on the 

 outside by rows of such tender-leaved varieties 

 as the Mercer, Shaker Kusset and Early Good- 

 rich ; but, above all, isolate your potato field as 

 much as possible, either by using land surrounded 

 with timber, or by planting in the centre of a corn 

 field. Carry out these suggestions thoroughly 

 and you will not have much use for Paris green, 

 and still less for the scorching remedy. 



[From tlie Missoiu-i Eiitoraological Ueport for 1S6!).] 



THE TARNISHED PLANT -BUG. 



(Caj)sus oUineatus, Say.''-) 



Quite early last spring while entomologizing 

 [Fig. isj.] in Southern Illinois, I spent 



a ^\ay with Mr. E. J. Ayres, 

 of Villa Ridge, and was sur- 

 prised to Icaru that he had 

 become quite discouraged 

 in his efforts to grow young 

 pear trees, on account oi 

 the injuries of a certain bug, 

 which, upon examination, I 

 found to be the Tarnished 

 Plant-bug, I'epresented en- 

 larged at Figure 182, the hair line at its side 

 showing the natural size. The family to which 

 this bug belongs is the next in a natural ar- 

 rangement to th<n which includes the notorious 

 CMnch-bug, and the insect is, like that species, 

 a veritable bug, and obtains its food by sucking 

 and not biting. The C'ajmis family is a veiy 

 large one, containing numerous species in this 

 country, but among them, none but the species 

 under consideration have thrust themselves upon 

 public notice by their evil doings. 



Lijgus. As Say's description is the only one 1 have access 

 to, I have retainwl the uame he gave it as being emiueuuy 

 appropriate. 



