22 THE CHINCH BUG. 
young corn. This is precisely the opposite of what is observed farther 
west. 
Although living externally on their food plants, and notwithstanding 
the young may attack the bases or even the roots of some of these, 
yet the species is essentially an external feeder, and appears while thus 
engaged almost totally indiffereut to possible attacks of natural ene- 
mies. When not feeding, however, there is at times a tendency to 
hide away under the sheaths of young corn or beneath clods of earth 
or bunches of coarse stable manure, where this has been recently 
applied and left more or less exposed on the surface of the ground. I 
have noted this in cases where neither an uncomfortable temperature 
nor wet weather necessitated protection. 
As has been shown in the description of the larval stages, there are 
four molts between the egg and the adult state. Just how the molting 
larvae act I have never been able to determine; neither have I wit- 
nessed pupation, but a fully developed pupa that is ready to molt is 
easily distinguished by its larger size and more tightly fitting skin, which 
is almost shining white on the median ventral surface of the abdomen. 
It now hides itself away, seemingly preferring to get under the sheaths 
of grasses or grains; but if these are not convenient it will crawl under 
loose clods, or even into crevices in the ground. While thus hidden 
away the pupa skin splits along the back and the fully developed adult 
makes its way out, leaving the empty skins behind, which last are very 
frequently mistaken for dead chinch bugs, and, when moldy, the 
farmer is very likely to suppose that they are bugs which have been 
killed by the fungus Sporotrichum glob iilifer 'urn, if this has been 
applied in the fields. 
On first emerging from the pupa the adult is generally of a dull pink 
color, except the wings, which are white, exclusive of the veins, these 
being of the same pinkish hue as the body. In a short time these col- 
ors change to the normal ones of the species, but during the breeding 
season these newly developed adults may be observed crawling about 
with the young of all stages as well as the maturely colored adults. 
If this development has been taking place in a wheat field and the 
grain is harvested at this time, or if from any other cause the food sup- 
ply becomes suddenly exhausted, all sizes of larvae with pupae and 
adults will start off on foot to hunt for a fresh supply. Though many 
individuals may now have become fully developed, and, so far as can be 
determined, possess wings entirely fitted for active service, neverthe- 
less they will crawl along a dusty road or across freshly plowed fields 
in company with their less fortunate fellows, seemingly never for a 
moment supposing that they can span the intervening space by flight. 
The writer is totally unable to account for this phenomenon in the 
species at this time, the disinclination to use the wings being so wholly 
unlike the habits of B. dorice, as shown by the careful and painstaking 
observations of Professor Sajo in Hungary. Again, the seeming desire 
