51 



by the mere loss of sap, since the later growth of the corn, and 

 especially that of the ear, must be dependent, in some measure, 

 on these last-formed roots. 



The negro hug associaied ivUli the chinch hug. — The negro bug 

 Thyreocoris {Corimelcena) pulicarius), extremely common in 

 elds of wheat and grass with the chinch bug, is frequently held re- 

 sponsible by farmers for a part of the damage done to their crops, 

 while by others it is looked upon as an enemy of the chinch bug. 

 Careful observation at Ashley, June 14 to 16, where these bugs 

 were extraordinarily numerous, failed to show them in any way 

 injurious. They were seen only on weeds in the wheat fields and 

 beside the road — usually the Spanish needle (Bidens) and plantain 

 {Plantago lanceolata), and occasionally the common rag weed 

 (Ambrosia). June 27, at Tonti, they were about half as numerous 

 (in all stages except the very young) in our experimental plots of 

 wheat as the chinch bugs themselves. 



At Flora, in one meadow visited, heavily damaged by the chinch 

 bug, the negro bugs were also excessively numerous, especially in 

 the richer and more luxuriant parts of it. Hundreds might be 

 seen on the ground at once by parting the grass and weeds. The 

 timothy was not injured by them, but a common smart weed 

 {Polygooium persicarium) seemed especially to attract them. Con- 

 fined with this plant at the office, they were seen to feed upon it 

 freely, piercing with their beaks both stems and leaves. Shut up 

 for several days without plant food, but with chinch bugs, they 

 paid no attention to the latter, but would walk across them with- 

 out noticing their presence. 



Chinch hugs hreeding in oats. — Besides the instances already 

 reported, the following may be noted, as occurring in a region 

 where wheat, though scarce, was raised to some extent, and was- 

 not by any means wholly destroyed. On the farm of Mr. Alex- 

 ander McMurray, near Tonti, in Marion county, I found June 27,. 

 1888, chinch bugs of all ages below the adult generally dis- 

 tributed through oats a quarter of a mile from wheat — the grain 

 reddening and falling in patches, here and there, as a result of 

 this attack. They were nearly limited to the vicinity of dead fur- 

 rows and to the lighter, poorer parts of the field. About five 

 sixths of them were still in the red stages, the general ad- 

 vancement of development being clearly less than in the stubble 

 of the recently harvested wheat. This fact was probably due ta 

 the later distribution of the old bugs in oats, as this crop waa 

 not yet sown when the chinch bugs began to fly in the spring. 



In Effingham county, in 1887, many meadows and fields of oats- 

 were certainly destroyed by chinch bugs which bred in them 

 from the beginning of the season; and corn adjacent was invaded 

 from them in June and July, in the usual way. 



Oviposition in midsummer. — At Ashley, Jund 14, 1887, I noticed 

 that adults which had entered corn from wheat adjoining, were 

 pairing freely, while nothing of the kind was seen in the ripened 



