THE] CHINCH BUG 
(BUssus leucopterus, Say.) 
Order Hemiptera ; family IjYGtMIDM. 
INTRODUCTORY. 
The present treatment of the Chinch Bug offers little scope for any- 
thing new or original. It is an extremely destructive species which has 
been exhaustively treated by former writers and which, after several 
years of comparative scarcity, has again become very injurious, so much 
so as to occasion the loss of millions of dollars during the past sea- 
son and to call forth the greatest variety of comment from the press of 
the country, agricultural or otherwise. In this emergency it happens 
that there are no public documents for distribution and even no books 
which can be purchased which treat of the life history of and remedies 
for this pest. The State reports of Eiley and LeBaron are out of print : 
the small edition of Bulletin 5 of the U. S. Entomological Commission, 
by Dr. Thomas, was long since exhausted ; and the recent bulletin and 
circular by Forbes treat almost solely of remedies. 
It becomes necessary, therefore, to bring out once more a complete 
review of the subject. Previous writings, particularly those of Riley, 
are freely used, and in many instances the well-known Missouri reports 
of my chief are quoted at length. 
Observations by Prof. Herbert Osborn, F. M. Webster, W. B. Alwood, 
and Miss Mary Murtfeldt, Agents of the Division, are acknowledged as 
they are used. Indebtedness to Prof. G. F. Atkinson, of Chapel Hill, 
!N". C, for observations made in his vicinity, is here acknowledged. The 
note-books of the Division of Entomology and the extensive records for 
many years collected by Professor Riley have been at my disposal. 
PAST HISTORY. 
It has been quite generally accepted that the Chinch Bug is, compar- 
atively speaking, a Southern rather than a Northern insect, and in so 
far as the matter of destructive appearances goes, this idea is well up. 
held by its past history. In our section upon geographical distribu- 
tion, however, we have shown that the species is by no means confined 
to the more Southern States, but that it is often found north of the 
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