NOTES ON THE GARDEN FLEA-HOPPER. 59 



Our first economic account appears to be that, previously referred to, 

 by Professor Popenoe, in which he mentions this species and Agalliastes 

 bractatus Say, in connection with their injury to beans in Kansas. 

 They were observed during the season of 1890 — 



living in great numbers on the underside of the leaves of the garden bean, punc- 

 turing the tissues and sucking the sap, and by these punctures causing the death of 

 the tissues in small, irregular patches that appear upon the upper surface of the 

 leaf as white spots. These two species are so nearly alike, so far as habits are con- 

 cerned, that they may be noticed together. They operate mostly near the ground 

 and upon weak, low-growing sorts. They sometimes do appreciable injury to the 

 plant. The insects of both species are able to jump many times their own length, 

 and when disturbed they hop from the leaves like flea-beetles. They have also 

 been observed to feed upon red clover in the manner and with the effect described 

 above. 



During the season of 1896 this species was the occasion of consider- 

 able injury to red clover and some other plants in the State of Ohio, 

 and was so reported by Mr. F. M. Webster (see Bui. 6, n. s., Biv. Ent., 

 Dept. Agric, p. 68; Ent. News, vol. Yin, pp. 209, 210). 



In the Annual Eeport of the Entomological Society of Ontario for 

 1896 (pp. 83, 84) Mr. Webster also has some remarks on this species 

 and its supposed mimicry of Chceto enema parcepunctata, which also 

 occurs on red clover. 



In the article first quoted the species is stated, on the authority of 

 Mr. C. W. Mally, to have been found also feeding on cucumber near 

 Cleveland, and to occur in Iowa. Particular attention is called to the 

 fact that farmers, " without a single exception," call these insects flea- 

 beetles, an error which is excusable when we consider the close resem- 

 blance of the saltatorial and wingless females to species of Chsetocnema 

 and Epitrix. In the second article, which bears the title "Halticus 

 bractatus Say," and which is illustrated by a plate of two figures of 

 wingless and winged females, some additional facts are given, includ- 

 ing a long list of food plants. Unfortunately, Mr. Webster has desig- 

 nated his fig. 1 as the male, an error which becomes readily obvious 

 when comparison is made with the illustrations accompanying this 

 article. 



The illustrations furnished by Professor Popenoe in all probability 

 represent the two sexes, male and wingless female of one species, an 

 opinion which has already been expressed by Mr. Webster, and one in 

 which Mr. Otto Heidemann of this Division, who has made a specialty 

 of the Capsidee, fully concurs. 



DESCRIPTIVE. 



Say's species, originally described by him as Capsus bractatus, and 

 evidently drawn from the winged female (Complete Writings, Lee. ed., 

 vol. I, p. 348, 1859), differs from the form under consideration so far as 

 has been pointed out only in size, the former being the larger. In spec- 

 imens before the writer of the brachypterous female of both species, 

 bractatus measures about 2 to 2£ mm in length, while uhleri is but little 



