54 Thirty-seyexth Axxual Report oe the 



Throughout the Southern or "Western States, or more properly those 

 lying within the " wheat-belt region," the chinch-bug is a well-known 

 enemy, from the almost incredible amount of injury which it inflicts, 

 in certain years, upon the grain and corn crops. Probably the aggre- 

 gate of pecuniary losses which have resulted to the United States from 

 its ravages have considerably exceeded those inflicted by any other of 

 our thousand insect pests. In 1864, its injuries in the" State of 

 Illinois to wheat and corn alone were computed at seventy- three mil- 

 lions of dollars. This was a year of unusual excess, but it is not of 

 rare occurrence that a State suffers a loss of from twelve to fifteen 

 millions of dollars in a single year. When the insect abounds, it is so 

 numerous as to cover the ground; it blackens the stalks of the plants 

 upon which it feeds ; it fills the air when, at seasons of its mating, it 

 takes wing for flight ; it marches to new feeding grounds in solid 

 bodies, upon and over one another ; its invading armies sweep over 

 and utterly destroy a wheat or corn field in two or three days ; and 

 the nauseous bed-bug odor which they exhale, sickens those who are 

 compelled to breathe it. 



Appearance of the insect. — It belongs to the order of Hemiptera, 

 which comprises all of the bugs proper. It is, therefore, without bit- 

 ing jaws, but takes its food by suction through a four-jointed proboscis, 

 which, at rest, is bent beneath the body. Its size seems quite dispro- 

 portioned to its destructive powers, being but about the one-tenth of 

 an inch long, and one- third of its length broad. Its body is black and 

 slightly hairy under a magnifier. The wing-covers, resting fiat upon 

 its back, are white, with a subtriangular black spot in the middle of 

 the outer margin of each, and a few black veins upon their middle. 

 The feet and swollen ends of the four-jointed antennae are black, while 

 elsewhere the latter and the legs are dull yellow. 



Observations v.pon the attach. — in addition to the information con- 

 tained in the communication of ]\Ir. Smith above given, I am able to 

 add the following from my personal observations made during the past 

 week (on October oth and 6th J. The cold weather of the past few 

 days (ice was formed upon three nights) has doubtless driven most of 

 the bugs to their winter quarters for hibernation, in crevices, beneath 

 boards, rails, etc., in rubbish heaps, and to many other secure retreats 

 where such insects are accustomed to hide. Yet, upon parting the 

 roots of the timothy, upon the borders of the killed portion, they 

 were found in alarming numbers — m some spots sufficient to 

 cover the ground with their bodies over an area of two or three inches 

 in diameter, having apparently congregated in such places. In one 

 spot, upon the warm sloping side of a dead furrow, they could be seen, 

 in numbers, running like ants, over the ground. Elsewhere, they 

 were concealed among the roots, near to and about the bulbs, upon 

 which they appeared mainly to feed. Their presence in any spot could 

 always be detected by bringing the nose near the ground by the peculiar 

 bed-bug odor above mentioned. This method of detection proved 

 more convenient and infallible than looking for them. 



The invasion is more extended than was at first supposed- Xearly 

 all of the farms in the neighborhood of Mr. King have been attacked, 

 either last year or this, and discoveries of attack not before suspected 



