120 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



The country members of our Academy might supply us with 

 suificient information to enable us to issue a map of the dis- 

 tribution of this pest in our district. 



At the seaside resorts the slops and sweepings are thrown 

 around in a very promiscuous manner and when to this is 

 added a small zoological establishment of dogs, cats, birds, 

 rats and mice, it is not surprising there are occasionally epi- 

 demics of fleas. 



Ocean Park, Cal. 



"THE KISSING BUG." 



BY DR. A. DAVIDSON. 



It is with some temerity that one approaches the subject of 

 the so called "kissing bug" nowadays. A few years ago the 

 sensational daily papers, the comic, and even the scientific 

 jourrials poked so much fun at the insect in question that it 

 has this season been almost completely ignored. From the 

 year 1899 to 1901 it was frequently commented on. Our most 

 representative journal, the "Entomological News '' in its edi- 

 torial of September, 1899, says: "During the past summer 

 the newspapers of the Atlantic coast have been exploiting 

 numerous instances of individuals being attacked or "kissed'' 

 by an insect which in consequence of its -asserted habit of 

 swelling the lips of its human victim by its bite or sting, re- 

 ceived the fatuous name of the "kissing bug." Originating 

 in the neighborhood of Washington, D. C, the report spread 

 from newspaper to newspaper and with the lay people be- 

 came a veritable summer madness. The United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture identified the insect as Melanolestes pic- 

 ipes, a hemipter of previously good character, which fact went 

 a great way in making entomologists in general sceptical as 

 to the whole story, and we are glad to record that the much 

 maligned Melanolestes has proven an alibi, as far as the evi- 

 dence presented at the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia 

 goes." 



In this article there are given the names of about twenty 

 insects that had at various times been brought to the Academy 

 as the genuine "kissing bug." 



The evidence above quoted is sufficient to discourage the 



