58 
During the winter they remain in a torpid or semi-torpid state, but 
are easily warmed into life and activity. As the cold weather be¬ 
comes more and more severe they press deeper and deeper, if possible, 
into the inner recesses of their hiding places. They prefer dry quar¬ 
ters if readily obtained. 
Whether the males survive in equal numbers with the females is 
a point not ascertained so far as I am aware, but I am of the opinion 
that the females are the more numerous. 
Their time of coming forth in the spring depends upon the latitude 
and season. In a few instances in unusually early springs they have 
been seen as early as the middle or latter part cf March in the south¬ 
ern end of the State ; while on the other hand, in the northern part 
of the State in a late spring they have delayed their appearance until 
late in May, and probably even until the first of June. Usually they 
come out during the month of April in the southern and central part 
of the State. But it must be admitted that there is but little testi¬ 
mony on this point, as but very few of our farmers pay any attention 
to insects except when they become injurious or appear in immense 
masses. The Chinch-bug, when flying, would scarcely be distin¬ 
guished by the unpracticed eye from a gnat. On this account our 
correspondence, and the printed and manuscript notes we have exam¬ 
ined, make far more frequent mention of the first appearance of the 
young than they do of the spring appearance of the hibernating 
brood. 
1 
The First Brood. 
Immediately after they come out of their winter quaiters they pair, 
and soon the females commence depositing their eggs. Unfortunately 
for the farmer, nature appears to have made a special provision for 
them to adapt them to the vicissitudes of season and climate even in 
reference to oviposition. If compelled to deposit all their eggs at one 
time, an entire brood might be destroyed by a single drenching rain; 
but the female proceeds leisurely with her work, day by day she de¬ 
posits a few, those in her ovaries developing as necessity demands; 
the process being carried on for two or even three weeks before it is 
completed. Each female, according to Dr. Shimer, deposits about 500 
eggs. 
As a general rule the eggs deposited at this time are placed just be¬ 
low the surface of the soil on the roots or lower part of the stem above 
the surface. The moisture of the soil at the time probably has some¬ 
thing to do with the position, the higher being selected when it is 
damp and the lower when it is dry; the condition as to compactness 
or hardness doubtless has also something to do with the position se¬ 
lected. ‘ ' 
The eggs are more liable to be affected by climatic influences than 
the perfect insects, and are soon destroyed by heavy rains. As an ev¬ 
idence of this I refer the reader to the statement of Prof. Ross, page 
54. In about fifteen or sixteen days after they are deposited they 
commence hatching. The young insects, which have been heretofore 
described, without any apparent surprise at finding themselves in the 
land of the living, seem to be perfectly at home in their new situa- 
