24 



fields at Tlahualilo, of weeds along the roadside, of the desert vege- 

 tation of mesquite (the beans being dry at this time) and cacti, and 

 of ornamental trees and shrubs at the headquarters of the estate ; but 

 on none of these were the insects found. 



SEASOXAL HISTORY. 



For the information concerning the seasonal history of the con- 

 chuela. here j^resented, the writer is indebted to Mr. John Conduit, 

 who, owing to the immense tract of cotton grown under his superyi 

 sion, giyes particular attention to cotton pests, and in addition to 

 personal examinations in the fields, encourages the " bosses ■" of the 

 various j^arts of the estate to send in to the office specimens of insects 

 taken on the cotton plant, with information concerning their abun- 

 dance and injury. The '' bosses " in their turn make 2:)ersonal exam- 

 inations and send dozens of laborers into the various subdivisions of 

 the estate to search for any j^articular insect concerning which infor- 

 mation may be desired at headquarters. This system made it possible 

 to obtain accurate information concerning the abundance of the pen- 

 tatomid bug here considered. 



In 1903 the conchuelas were abundant .only during the month of 

 July, and reached a maximum in numbers about July 20. Their 

 first appearance was in the outlying districts, next to the mesquite, 

 but they soon spread all over the cotton plantation, though they were 

 more abundant in certain parts than in others. The insects disap- 

 peared early in xVugust and did not reappear in noticeable abundance 

 during the season, although the cotton plants remained green until 

 the iTth of October, when the first frost occurred. 



Although a constant watch for the insect was kept during the late 

 spring and early summer of 190J:, the first specimen was not taken in 

 the field until July 6. Several specimens were soon after this for- 

 warded to me at Victoria, Tex. During the folloAving seven days a 

 rapid increase in their ntnnbers was noted, causing considerable fear 

 lest they seriously damage the cotton crop. On July 17, however, it 

 was observed that a marked decrease in their numbers had occurred. 

 Nowhere on the estate were the insects as abundant as in July of the 

 previous year, nor were they so generally distributed. On August 

 31, the date of my first examination in the cotton fields on my second 

 visit to Tlahualilo, the insects were so scarce that but five specimens 

 were found during the first search of one and one-half hours. They 

 were afterwards found in somewhat greater abundance in another 

 portion of the estate. No nymphs and only a single batch of eggs 

 could be found in the field, this latter having been deposited in a field 

 cage. Several hours each day for nearly a week were spent in the 

 cotton fields before any adults were seen in coition. During this 

 j^eriod many adults were seen at different times of the day. In the 



