726 The Living Animals of the World 



Several species (chiefly foreign) among the Shield-bugs and the present group have a strong 

 spine, or else a blunt protuberance, 2)rojecting from each shoulder. 



The remaining plant-bugs are much more numerous — at least in England— than those 

 already mentioned, and form several families, which cannot be noticed in detad. IMany species 

 are rather small and delicate creatures, narrower and softer than the Shield-bugs and Pentagonal 

 Shield-bugs, and are adorned with various colours, black and red predominating. Some have 

 more transparent wings than the others, such as the beautiful little Lace-wikged Bugs, one 

 species of which is often very destructive to pear-trees. 



The Bed-bug is a reddish-brown, somewhat oval insect, common in many old houses, 

 hiding in cracks and crevices in walls and woodwork, and coming out at night to suck the 

 blood of sleepers with its sharp proboscis. There are allied species, sometimes found in 

 hen-houses, pigeon-houses, and pjlaces where bats congregate. The bed-bug has only been 

 known in England for a few centuries, and though now a great pest in all parts of the world, 

 was probably a native of Africa originally. 



The bed-bug, notwithstanding its offensive odour, is preyed upon by several other insects, 

 among which are the common cockroach and the Masked Bug. The latter is a black-winged 

 bug about three-quarters of an inch long, and remarkable for the habits of its lar\'a, which 



conceals itself with dust or fluff, so that it may steal upon its 



prey unobserved. The masked bug and its larva feed on soft-bodied 



insects of various kinds, and are more frequently found in outhouses 



than in dwelling-rooms. This bug occasionally attacks warm-blooded 



animals ; and a short time ago a great deal of nonsense was published 



in the newspapers about a mysterious insect -pest in North America, 



called the Kissing-bug, which seems to have been nothing more 



unusual than this insect. There are, however, some much larger species 



belonging to the same family, which are formidable pests in the 



Southern States of North America, Chili, and various other countries. 



After these insects come the Water-bug.s, of which there are 



FMoh.i\y.i'.va,uio,F.z.b., Several families, though the number of species is comparatively 



w.g,:nfsPaTk. Small. Some are very slender insects, with long, slender legs, 



MASKED BUG. and may be seen running on the surface of ponds in England ; 



The laivffi of these insects cover while othcrs, which are tropical si:}ecies, are marine, and are met 



tlieiiiseJves witli dust, in order to creep ■ i • i 



upon their prey Tinnoticed. With runnmg ou the surlace of the water in the open sea. 



The largest members of the group are som_e of the great 

 water-bugs found in Africa, India, and America. Their fore wings are of a light brown, and 

 measure from 3 to 5 inches in exijanse. Their legs are short and strong, and the front legs 

 are adapted for grasping their prey, which consists of insects and small fishes. There are some 

 smaller species in which the female lays her eggs in a cluster on the back of the male, which 

 carries them about till they are hatched. These bugs fly about in the evening, and are 

 frequently attracted by electric light. 



In England there are two allied species called Water-scorpions, from their long front 

 legs, which somewhat resemble the nippers of a scorpion. The commonest is a brown insect, 

 with the abdomen red beneath. It is about an inch long, including the breathing-tube, 

 which sticks out behind the body like a tail, and is formed of two separable parts. It" is an 

 oval insect, half as broad as long, and is common in stagnant water. The other species is twice 

 as long, and is much more slender, with longer and more slender legs. It is vellowish brown, 

 like most of the other water-bugs, and is a sluggish and rather scarce insect, ' creeping about 

 m the mud at the bottom of deeper water than that preferred by the commoner species. 



The Water-boatmen are yellowish-brown insects, measuring half an inch in length, with 

 smooth bodies, and long, hairy hind legs, with which they row themselves about on the 

 water,^ as if with oars, while floating on their backs. All the larger water-bugs are capable of 

 inflicting a severe puncture with their sharp proboscis, if handled incautiously 



