INSECTS. 
95 
and the tibiae of tho hind-legs have already attained a broad, flattened 
appearance. 
The perfect insect is about seven-tenths of an inch in length ; the 
antennae are four-jointed ; the eyes, prominent and brown ; the piercer 
four-jointed, and when at rest, re-curved under the body; the ocelli 
are two in number ; the thorax rising from the head, and somewhat 
angular on the margin ; the wing-covers are reddish-brown, with a 
distinct yellowish-white band across the middle ; the anterior and 
middle legs are reddish-brown ; the hind-legs, however, are very sin- 
gular in shape, the thighs being thick and spiny on their under side, 
and the tibia furnished with a broad flattened enlargement on each 
side, larger on the upper one and somewhat wing-shaped, with 
two teeth, or notches, on tho margin. This makes the insect appear 
to have hind-legs entirely out of proportion to its size. These insects 
are very numerous in cotton-fields, and may be seen flying from plant 
to plant during the heat of the day. 
There are several other insects found upon cotton ; but those men- 
tioned above are the most numerous. The question now arises 
whether they have anything to do with the “ rot,” or whether that 
disease is caused by a peculiar state of the atmosphere, or by imper- 
fections of the soil. May not the punctures made by these insects, in 
some peculiar seasons, incline the boll to the rot more readily than in 
others, though in more favorable seasons it may be made with com- 
parative impunity ? A singular circumstance, however, is rather 
against the insect theory, namely, that, while some particular cotton- 
plant is observed to be much affected by tho rot, the plants standing 
close to it may be comparatively free and healthy. On one diseased 
plant, I counted seventeen rotted bolls, while the very next plants 
were green, and exhibited not the least sign of disease. The query 
as to whether the rot is caused by insects or the peculiar state of the 
soil or atmosphere, is here submitted for the purpose of inciting plant- 
ers to make experiments, and to report their success, in order that 
we may soon come to a definite conclusion upon the subject. 
TOE BROWNISH-BLACK ANISOSCELIS. 
(Anisoscelis ?) 
A very large anisoscelis, (PI. VIII. fig. 9,) about an inch and one- 
fifth in length, and of a brownish-black, I found quite numerous in 
the cotton-fields of Florida. The head of this insect is brownish- 
black, with prominent eyes ; the thorax rough, black, and somewhat 
triangular ; the autennto, four-jointed ; the legs, brown ; the thighs, 
brownish-black and spiny ; the hind-legs, in appearance, entirely dis- 
proportionate in size to the insect ; with the thighs very stout, thick 
and spiny, and the tibia) with broad, flattened, wing-shaped projec- 
tions ; the trunk is recurved under the thorax. 
These insects, though somewhat numerous, were never observed to 
suck the sap from the bolls ; yet it would be well to investigate their 
habits more minutely before deciding whether they are injurious or 
not. 
