brown and the outer edges ot the wing covers white so that the 
insect’ looks as if its back were narrowly edged with that color. 
The scutellum is extraordinarily large, covering nearly the whole 
back with a smooth, convex, shining black plate, grooved at the 
e( joes so that the wing covers shut partly beneath it. The general 
form of the body is semi-oval, regularly rounded behind; the head 
and thorax triangular. The size is about 0.12 inch m length by 
three-fourths that in width. 
Vourni —The young are like the adults in general appearance and 
color but are smaller, and their abdomens have a relatively un¬ 
finished appearance. The large, glossy black patch which extends 
backward from the middle of the thorax, and represents the 
scutellum of the full-grown bug, is here divided into transverse bars 
corresponding to the segments of the body, and beside these, the 
unner abdominal surface is uncovered (the wings not having been 
developed), of a grayish-brown color, finely punctate with black. 
Other species .—At least two other species of this genus occur m 
Illinois both larger than the above, but much less numerous. le 
largest ’(T. unicolor) is about twice as long as T. pulicanus and is 
qf once distinguished by the absence of the white edge to the wing- 
covers C other species (T. lateralis) is about 0.18 inch , m 
length, and is distinguishable from pulicanus only by its greatei size. 
Probably these species have similar habits to T. pulicanus, h ut they 
have been, so far, too few in number to be conspicuously injurious. 
• 
LIFE HISTORY. 
The adults emerge from their winter quarters under leaves auc 
rubbfsh! in earlT spring, the first recorded date of them appearanc, 
on the blossoms of the strawberry being April 23. On the rasp 
berry they have been noticed June 10; and later m the month, oi 
Coreopsis; Ceanothus, etc. It was not uncommon on strawberrie 
in Southern Illinois during the month of May, 1883, but all t 
specimens then seen were adults, and I find no mention of th 
appearance of young before June. 
Prof. Riley remarks that in the month of June, under Ceanothu 
and Veronica, the species “may be found m countless numbers (, 
ail «i ze s and ages, from the small light brown wingless newly hatclie 
fndivfduals, to 8 the full-fledged jet black ones In fact they bred] 
on these weeds.” A number of specimens sent me from Montgorm 
county on the 29th of the month, were all young, ranging ho j 
the pupa down. On the other hand, all the specimens appearing 1 
our collections from strawberry fields m June and July were ad. 
an d I doubt if the species breeds on the strawberry, or makes mo, 
than an early attack on it in spring, when the young leaves of t 
early growing plant afford it attractive food. A laige numbei 
this species obtained by sweeping the stubble of wheat early m Ju i 
were adults, almost without exception, probably one in twenty b 
in the preceding or pupa stage. They were very abundant, especial 
in the edges of the field, feeding on a wild Coreopsis not yet 
bloom. In fact, it is only during the midsummer season that t| 
