80 



Observations on the various Insects 



notched at the base of the stigma, which is tipped with brown, 

 the oblique and oval nervure scarlet ; membrane with a smoky 

 border and a dot within the cell ; wings ample, iridescent, nervures 

 dusky: legs ochreous, slender, and rather short, excepting the 

 hinder pair ; thighs with a reddish or brown ring near the apex, 

 2 rings in the hinder, the shanks spiny, all tipped with brown ; 

 feet pitchy. Length 2J lines, expanse 6 lines. This pretty spe- 

 cies varies much, and some examples are very rosy. 



At the commencement of September, 1846, it was abundant on 

 diseased potato-haulm in many localities. It inhabits grasses in 

 May, and later in the year it is found upon the flowers of umbel- 

 latae. It is spread far and wide, for I have caught numbers in 

 Scotland, especially in the isles of Skye and Arran. 



Two other species, Phytocoris pabulinus of Linnaeus, and P. 

 viridulus, Harm, are recorded as inhabiting and injuring the 

 potato crops.* It is evident,, by the following extract from a letter 

 of a resident in South Australia, communicated to Mr. Thwaites, 

 that the potato disease in that remote country, in 1847, has been 

 ascribed to some insect allied to those infesting our own crops. 

 The writer says — " The fly which destroyed the potato crop was 

 a small white Tree-buy, with transparent wings, not half the size 

 of the common house-fly. They ate up all the tops of the 

 potatoes, so that there was not a leaf to be seen, and of course 

 the roots were useless where they attacked them in the early 

 state." | 



The following accurate observations of Dr. Harris will show 

 that similar injuries were inflicted upon the potatoes in the 

 Lfnited States ten years back, and that insects had been suspected 

 of assisting in the destruction of the crops. Pie states that it was 

 a species of Plant-bug closely allied to Phytocoris campestris of 

 Linnaeus, and described as the P. lineolaris of Palisot de Beau- 

 vois, and the Capsus oblineatus of Say. 



" During the summer of 1838," says Dr. Harris, "and particularly 

 in the early part of the season, which it will be recollected was very 

 dry, our gardens and fields swarmed with immense numbers of little 

 bugs, that attacked almost all kinds of herbaceous plants. My atten- 

 tion was first drawn to them in consequence of the injury sustained by 

 a few dahlias, marigolds, asters, and balsams, with which I had stocked 

 a little border around my house. In the garden of my friends the 

 Messrs. Hovey, at Cambridgeport, I observed about the same time that 

 these insects were committing sad havoc, and was informed that various 

 means had been tried to destroy or expel them without effect. On 

 visiting my potato-patch shortly afterwards, I found the insects there 

 also in great numbers on the vines ; and from information worthy of 



* Gardeners' Chron., vol. vii. p. 468. 

 f Trans. Ent. Soc., vol. v. p. xxxiii. 



