328 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 
Several species (chiefly foreign) among the Shield-bugs and the present group have a strong 
spine, or else a blunt protuberance, projecting from each shoulder. 
The remaining plant-bugs are much more numerous — at least in England — than those 
already mentioned, and form several families, which cannot be noticed in detail. Many species 
are rather small and delicate creatures, narrower and softer than the Shield-bugs and Pentagonal 
Shield-bugs, and are adorned with various colours, black and red predominating. Some have 
more transparent wings than the others, such as the beautiful little Lace-winged Bugs, one 
species of which is often very destructive to pear-trees. 
The Bed-bug is a reddish-brown, somewhat oval insect, common in many old houses, 
hiding in cracks and crevices in walls and woodwork, and coming out at night to suck the 
blood of sleepers with its sharp proboscis. There are allied species, sometimes found in 
hen-houses, pigeon-houses, and places where bats congregate. The bed-bug has only been 
known in England for a few centuries, and though now a great pest in all parts of the world, 
was probably a native of Africa originally. 
The bed-bug, notwithstanding its offensive odour, is preyed upon by several other insects, 
among which are the common cockroach and the Masked Bug. The latter is a black-winged 
bug about three-quarters of an inch long, and remarkable for the habits of its larva, which 
conceals itself with dust or fluff, so that it may steal upon its 
prey unobserved. The masked bug and its larva feed on soft-bodied 
insects of various kinds, and are more frequently found in outhouses 
than in dwelling-rooms. This bug occasionally attacks warm-blooded 
animals ; and a short time ago a great deal of nonsense was published 
in the newspapers about a mysterious insect-pest in North America, 
called the KiSSiNG-BUG, which seems to have been nothing more 
unusual thanthisinsect. Thereare,however,somemuch larger species 
belonging to the same family, which are formidable pests in the 
Southern States of North America, Chili, and various other countries. 
After these insects come the Water-BUG.S, of which there are 
several families, though the number of species is comparatively 
small. Some are very slender insects, with long, slender legs, 
and may be seen running on the surface of ponds in England; 
while others, which are tropical species, are marine, and are met 
with running on the surface of the water in the open sea. 
The largest members of the group are some of the great 
water-bugs found in Africa, India, and America. Their fore wings are of a light brown, and 
measure from 3 to 5 inches in e.xpanse. Their legs are short and strong, and the front legs 
are adapted for grasping their prey, which consists of insects and small fishes. There are some 
smaller species in which the female lays her eggs in a cluster on the back of the male, which 
carries them about till they are hatched. These bugs fly about in the evening, and are 
frequently attracted by electric light. 
In England there are two allied species called Water-SCORPIONS, from their long front 
legs, which somewhat resemble the nippers of a scorpion. The commonest is a brown insect, 
with the abdomen red beneath. It is about an inch long, including the breathing-tube, 
which sticks out behind the body like a tail, and is formed of two separable parts. It is an 
oval insect, half as broad as long, and is common in stagnant vvater. The other species is twice 
as long, and is much more slender, with longer and more slender legs. It is yellowish brown, 
like most of the other water-bugs, and is a sluggish and rather scarce insect, creeping about 
in the mud at the bottom of deeper water than that preferred by the commoner species. 
The VVater-boaTiMEN are yellowish-brown insects, measuring half an inch in length, with 
smooth bodies, and long, hairy hind legs, with which they row themselves about on the 
water, as if with oars, while floating on their backs. All the larger water-bugs are capable of 
inflicting a severe puncture with their sharp proboscis, if handled incautiously. 
PhoU by IV. P. Dandc, F.Z.S. 
MASKED BUG 
The lar'va of these insects co'ver 
themsel'ves 'with dusty in order 
to creep upon their prey 
unnoticed 
