30 MISCELLANEOUS COTTON INSECTS. 
territory within a radius of 10 miles from Sabinal. The migration 
of the bugs was much like that of the true chinch bug (Blissus leucop- 
terus Sa}^); they would remain in one place until the vegetation there 
was destroyed and then move on. At this time hardly anv adult 
bugs were seen. Late in May the writer visited the same fields, and 
hardly a specimen could be secured, although a few adults were found 
in corn. In this case the damage was done entirely by the nymphs; 
and the swarms disappeared after their devastation of the cotton as 
suddenly as they had appeared. Of the nymphs taken to the labora- 
tory all died before maturing, so that their identity can not be definitely 
established; but there seems to be no doubt, from a comparison with 
determined specimens, that they are Nysius angustatus. 
Early in May the same species appeared in immense numbers in 
wheat fields in one or two localities in north Texas, greatly to the 
alarm of the owners, but no 
f% *x=-^ ^-t< ^TNo/P^ material injuiy was done. 
Later in the month speci- 
mens were received from 
several points in central 
Texas, where, occurring in 
^ij ^ / iUr \ ^ vJH^ ^ immense numbers, they were 
doing serious damage to va- 
Fig. 15. — Nysius angustatus: b, last stage of nymph; c, j*jouS P'lrdeil Cl'ODS 111 Bl*'l- 
adult— much enlarged (after Riley). if . '" , 
zos County they appeared 
sporadically in April, May, and early June, seriously injuring gardens. 
They were also observed in the field working on prickly lettuce and 
other weeds. In most cases they appear suddenly, practically destroy 
the vegetation within a certain area, then move on, and nothing more 
is seen of them in that locality. In habits they are much like the 
true chinch bugs, many of them remaining in the soil at the base of 
the plant and quickly running into it when disturbed, so that it is 
exceedingly difficult to combat them successfully. This was observed 
at Sabinal, where the nymphs attacked the } 7 oung cotton before it was 
fairly out of the ground. 
Late in May Prof. H. A. Morgan, State entomologist of Louisiana, 
forwarded specimens of this species collected by Mr. E. W. Dayton, 
who reported them as seriously injuring cotton at Jonesville, La. 
On June 15 Mr. Dayton wrote further: 
Just after receiving your first letter we had a hard rain, and that with the hot 
sun caused most of the insects to disappear, but there are spots of about one-fourth 
an acre scattered over the fields yet, and they are doing some damage. They dam- 
aged about 75 acres, reducing the stand to about one-half on this. I noticed a spot 
of about one-fourth an acre yesterday covered with them, and they seemed to be 
doing the usual damage. 
It would seem, therefore, that this pest feeds on nearly all low- 
growing vegetation. Its favorite food seems to be plants of the 
