FIELD WORK ON HEMIPTERA. lOI 



flight wings under their wing-covers, and can fly readily. 

 Later on you may meet the giant water bugs elsewhere. 



(Fig- 44-) 



A very profitable hunting ground when seeking land 

 bugs is the garden patch; cabbage, squash, melon, or 

 cucumber will be sure to furnish some of the leaf-eating 

 hemipters. The reading glass may be used to see how 

 the squash bugs and the calico backs are eating. Along 

 with the cabbage worms you may find their enemies, 

 sharp-beaked, prettily colored bugs, carrying their 

 beaks in front of the head and thrusting it into the pro- 

 testing green victim from this position. After the beak 

 is once in, protesting does no good on the part of the 

 worm; it is done for. 



Some clear night take your net and the small collect- 

 ing boxes to some electric light. It will be a good idea 

 to have some tall friend go with you or to take along 

 something to stand on. Be careful not to injure the 

 specimens caught in the net. There may be some valu- 

 able insects in the dancing swarm about the light. If 

 it is a cold night, it is of little use to go. Watch the 

 insects for a few minutes to see what you are likely to 

 have in your net, and also to see how they behave. Test 

 yourselves to see if you can distinguish members of any of 

 the orders with which you have grown familiar; and 

 whether you are able to determine how far some of them 

 have been attracted by the light. Possibly the latter 

 fact will not come out until you have your finds at closer 

 range. 



By dextrously sweeping the net through the air, and 

 carefully separating into the collection boxes, many 

 insects may be taken home for examination immediately, 

 if one has a good light ; or may be kept for daylight study. 



