﻿456 
  

  

  away 
  as 
  a 
  powdery 
  substance 
  which 
  adheres 
  to 
  the 
  branches 
  or 
  may 
  

   fall 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  adults 
  vary 
  in 
  size, 
  structure, 
  colour, 
  

   and 
  habits. 
  The 
  authors' 
  collections 
  and 
  notes 
  show 
  that 
  males 
  

   with 
  abortive 
  wings 
  and 
  short 
  elytra 
  are 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  reach 
  

   maturity, 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  August. 
  The 
  early-maturing 
  

   individuals 
  of 
  both 
  sexes 
  are 
  dark-coloured 
  and, 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  

   season, 
  males 
  and 
  females 
  of 
  both 
  short 
  and 
  long-wdnged 
  forms 
  

   are 
  hght-coloured. 
  An 
  occasional 
  male 
  and 
  many 
  females 
  develop 
  

   wings 
  for 
  migration, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  forms 
  generally 
  obtained 
  

   by 
  collectors 
  on 
  various 
  plants. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  adults 
  have 
  

   abortive 
  wings 
  and 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  bogs, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  observed, 
  

   only 
  the 
  dark-coloured 
  winged 
  forms 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  fly. 
  The 
  hght- 
  

   brown 
  females 
  with 
  both 
  pairs 
  of 
  wings 
  well 
  developed, 
  possessed 
  

   little 
  or 
  no 
  power 
  of 
  flight 
  and 
  the 
  venation 
  on 
  the 
  elytra 
  was 
  indistinct. 
  

   Early 
  in 
  September 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  reached 
  maturity 
  ; 
  mating 
  was 
  

   first 
  observed 
  during 
  1913 
  on 
  14th 
  September, 
  and 
  insects 
  in 
  copula 
  

   were 
  detected 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  15th 
  October. 
  The 
  injurious 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  pest 
  

   is 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  squash-bug 
  on 
  pumpkins, 
  though 
  the 
  

   evergreen 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  cranberry 
  do 
  not 
  show 
  the 
  wilting 
  so 
  plainly. 
  

   The 
  new 
  growth 
  takes 
  on 
  a 
  reddish 
  tinge 
  and 
  finally 
  a 
  brown 
  straw- 
  

   colour, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  nymphs 
  are 
  feeding 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  wood 
  the 
  

   berries 
  are 
  dwarfed, 
  or 
  deformed. 
  Careful 
  observations 
  failed 
  to 
  reveal 
  

   this 
  species 
  feeding 
  on 
  other 
  marsh 
  plants, 
  though 
  after 
  flooding 
  a 
  

   bog 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  collected 
  on 
  weeds 
  and 
  willows 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   marsh. 
  The 
  lady-bird 
  beetle, 
  Hippodamia 
  13-punctata, 
  and 
  the 
  

   soldier-bug, 
  Coriscus 
  inscriptus, 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  bogs 
  infested 
  with 
  

   P. 
  atra, 
  and 
  are 
  considered 
  probable 
  enemies 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  spined 
  soldier- 
  

   bug 
  (Podisus 
  spinosus), 
  also 
  occurs, 
  but 
  is 
  less 
  abundant. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  

   imdetermined 
  ground 
  and 
  jumping 
  spiders 
  are 
  generally 
  common 
  in 
  

   the 
  bogs 
  and 
  were 
  frequently 
  observed 
  to 
  attack 
  P. 
  atra. 
  During 
  

   1913, 
  a 
  fungoid 
  disease 
  was 
  conspicuous 
  in 
  the 
  breeding 
  cages, 
  and 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  this 
  was 
  occasionally 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  Experiments 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  best 
  methods 
  of 
  control 
  were 
  tried 
  in 
  the 
  years 
  1912 
  and 
  1913, 
  

   details 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  given. 
  It 
  being 
  too 
  late 
  for 
  spraying 
  in 
  the 
  

   season 
  of 
  1912, 
  when 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  this 
  pest 
  was 
  reahsed, 
  flooding 
  

   was 
  resorted 
  to. 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  miusual 
  practice 
  with 
  cranberry-growers 
  

   after 
  the 
  fruit 
  has 
  set, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  " 
  scalding 
  " 
  the 
  berries, 
  

   though 
  often 
  done 
  before 
  flowering 
  to 
  control 
  such 
  pests 
  as 
  the 
  fruit 
  

   and 
  vine 
  worms. 
  A 
  cloudy 
  day 
  was 
  chosen, 
  the 
  water 
  being 
  allowed 
  

   to 
  remain 
  for 
  48 
  hours. 
  The 
  bugs 
  would 
  not 
  remain 
  under 
  the 
  water 
  

   if 
  they 
  could 
  escape, 
  and 
  were 
  driven 
  to 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  vines 
  from 
  

   which 
  they 
  floated 
  as 
  the 
  water 
  rose, 
  climbing 
  the 
  taller 
  weeds 
  and 
  

   rubbish. 
  A 
  strong 
  wind 
  blew 
  all 
  the 
  bugs 
  to 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  bog 
  where 
  

   they 
  chmbed 
  aU 
  available 
  plants 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  as 
  to 
  weigh 
  them 
  

   down. 
  They 
  were 
  sprayed 
  with 
  pure 
  kerosene 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  driven 
  

   ashore, 
  also 
  with 
  Vreeland's 
  insecticide 
  soap, 
  using 
  1 
  part 
  to 
  6 
  parts 
  of 
  

   water 
  ; 
  the 
  bugs 
  being 
  readily 
  killed 
  by 
  both, 
  but 
  the 
  drift 
  and 
  rubbish 
  

   being 
  better 
  penetrated 
  by 
  the 
  kerosene. 
  Forty-eight 
  hours 
  after 
  

   the 
  water 
  was 
  drawn 
  off, 
  the 
  bog 
  was 
  examined 
  : 
  most 
  vines 
  were 
  free 
  

   from 
  insects, 
  but 
  on 
  plants 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  only 
  partly 
  submerged, 
  many 
  

   were 
  observed, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  marsh 
  in 
  certain 
  places 
  

   were 
  a 
  few 
  specimens, 
  indicating 
  a 
  re-invasion 
  by 
  individuals 
  which 
  

   had 
  managed 
  to 
  escape 
  the 
  kerosene 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  weeds 
  

  

  