If . • 
I 
35 
icl I think I have not seen as few of them for the last five years 
we had this year; yet we have enough saved for seed. I do not 
lieve there was any early brood this year here.” 
On the other hand, Mr. Harris writes: ‘‘In reply to your inquiry 
the 4th inst., relating to the chinch-bug, I would say the 
|ung chinch-bugs were very abundant prior to the 28th of June, 
82. At this date both the adult and the young were very abun- 
ait in both the rye and the winter wheat. But on the eve of the 
tli, we had the heaviest rain ever known in this section (6^ inches 
rain fell in less than two hours), and it destroyed both adults 
id young completely, as far as I had opportunity of observing; 
jt did not destroy the eggs already deposited in great numbers. ^I 
d not succeed in determining the date of hatching; but on July 8 
»e young bugs could be gathered by the handful in several of the 
leatfields about Cuba. A large part of the brood was destroyed 
a rain about the 15th of July.” That the young chinch-bugs, if 
esent, should have entirely escaped the close and continuous watch 
i three as careful observers as Prof. Burrill, Mr. Webster and Dr. 
oardman seems to me incredible, yet in all three of the localities 
ij which they made their search the species was abundant the pre¬ 
ding year, especially so at Champaign and at Normal. Near the 
' • mer place it did considerable damage to broom-corn and sorghum, 
d near the latter wheat fields were seriously attacked. As I have 
reason whatever to doubt the exactness of the observations upon 
mch the statements of Mr. Harris were based, I can only conclude 
Sat the chincli-bug failed to develop an early brood in some local¬ 
es, but not in others. Mention was made in all the letters cited 
the flight of bugs in midsummer, and a similar flight was noticed 
jout the middle of June, south of Bloomington, in McLean county, 
le superintendent of the county poor farm there reported that the 
' was full of flying cliinch-bugs at that time, and spoke especially 
J seeing a horse and rider literally covered with them. In a visit 
[ Adams county in August, my assistant, Mr. A. B. Seymour, 
Irned that cliinch-bugs had been very numerous there in early 
ring, but were believed to have been killed by the rain. 
My own first observations on the chinch-bug were made on the 
)h ofrJuly, at Champaign, where I visited a large field of broom- 
m belonging to Messrs. Bogardus and Johnson. These gentlemen 
ported that ten days previously, old bugs were abundant in the 
Id and were beginning to pair, but that only a few young were 
p to be seen. At the time of my visit, nearly all the adults had 
appeared, but some of those remaining were seen in copulo. The 
ang were quite abundant, however, chiefly secreted between the 
eath and stalks at the base of the broom-corn, but also frequently 
curring outside. They were equally abundant on crab grass 
<micum sanguinale) which was the most abundant weed in the 
d. The common fox-tail grass (, Setaria ) was entirely wanting 
re, having all been destroyed by these insects during the preced- 
j: year. The growth of the broom-corn had been seriously checked 
\l the bugs, but the recent weather had been favorable and the 
>p seemed now reviving. A small field of sorghum near by had 
m almost completely ruined by them, and other fields were tlireat- 
id. They were also generally distributed through the corn, in the 
