420 Structure of Phymata Erosa. 
erally of a yellow color, though this latter seems quite ° 
variable. Frequently there is a distinct greenish hue. Be- 
neath the abdomen, and on the back of the head, thorax, 
and abdomen, it is more or less specked with brown; 
Fic. 207. 
¥ 
Fic. 208, Fic. 209. 
G en 
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& 
Interior view, Exterior view, 
Antenna much Magnified, Anterior leg magnified. 
while across the dorsal aspect of the broadened abdomen 
is a marked stripe of brown (Fig. 205, d, @). Sometimes 
this stripe is almost wanting, sometimes a mere patch, 
while rarely the whole abdomen is very slightly marked, 
and as often we find it almost wholly brown above and 
below. The legs (Fig. 205, 4), beak and antenne (Fig. 
205, @) are greenish yellow. The beak has three joints 
(Fig. 206, a, 6, c), and a sharp point (Fig. 206, d@). This 
beak is not only the great weapon of offense, but also the 
organ through which the food is sucked. By the use of 
this, the insect has gained the sobriquet of “stinging 
bug.” This compact jointed beak is peculiar to all true 
bugs, and by observing it alone we are able to distinguish 
all the very varied forms of this group. The antenna is 
four-jointed. The first joint (Fig. 207, a) is short, the 
second and third (Fig. 207, 4 and c) are long and slim, 
while the terminal one (Fig. 207, d) is much enlarged. 
This enlarged joint is one of the characteristics of the 
genus Phymata, as described by Latreille. But the most 
curious structural peculiarity of this insect, and the chief 
character of the genus Phymata, is the enlarged anterior 
legs (Figs. 208 and 209). These, were they only to aid 
