24 
Food habits. — It may be well to sum up what is now known of the 
food and other habits of this species. It is obvious that cucurbits are 
the favorite food of both adults and nymphs, although the earlier 
arrivals or hibernated adults are more often found upon fruit trees. 
The nymphs are most abundant on cucurbits, which naturally is true 
of adults of the new generation which remain on or in the vicinity of 
the plants upon which they developed until time for seeking winter 
quarters. Plums, cherries, peaches, and tomatoes are frequently 
punctured by the insects in all stages, tomatoes appearing to be pre- 
ferred in our rearing jars to other food. Green corn is fed upon 
readily. There is record of occurrence on corn published by Dr. 
Lintner in the Country Gentleman of October 7, 1886 (p. 753). Of 
other published records of food habits we have Mr. Ashmead's men- 
tion of this species in his enumeration of the insect enemies of cotton; 
also note of the occurrence of eggs and nymphs on a hedge plant and 
on Russian apricot. Grape has been recorded as a food by Dr. Lint- 
ner (loc. cit.). The natural wild food plant remains to he discovered. 
In the report of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station for 
1900-1901 mention is made of this bug as having been received from 
various parts of Oklahoma, accompanied with the report that it was 
injuring the fruits of peach and plum by puncturing them and suck- 
ing out their juices. The species occasioned considerable alarm there, 
and farmers were asked to send specimens whenever found, in order 
that several points in its life history might be determined. 
Other habits. — The nymphs, as soon as hatched, group themselves 
about the chains of eggs and remain there during the day and probably 
till nightfall. Afterwards they may be found in other locations, and 
those which have been under observation, both in the field and in con- 
finement, at once selected a place for congregating where they were 
to be seen throughout the day, the individuals of a colony or those 
which hatched from a single egg mass always remaining by them- 
selves. In one rearing cage a colony established itself at the base 
of a squash leaf near the stalk, which appears to be a favorite rest- 
ing place for this as well as other plant-bugs, including the squash 
bugs; and another colony formed at the apex of the same leaf, as far 
as possible from the first colony. Here they remained day after day 
without mingling. Finally a stray nymph from a third egg mass, and 
larger than the others, joined the lower colon}' and remained with them. 
With the assumption of the third stage, the nymphs kept under obser- 
vation deserted their original congregating places and collected in 
another portion of the cage, where they were joined by a newly 
hatched colony. With later stages it is a matter of common occur- 
rence to find in the field three or four stages in a single group. 
A fully matured nymph was observed to shed its last skin October 2. 
