131 
ied by me, only two birds, both robins, had eaten this species, 
these in merely trivial amount. One hundred and eight blue-birds 
not taken it at all, although from their food-habits and haunts, 
would suppose the insect especially exposed to their notice, 
y specimens of the common black-throated bunting of Central 
ois, shot at the time when this plant bug swarms most abun- 
;ly upon vegetation everywhere, had eaten only a single speci- 
i. These instances will serve to illustrate the fact that for some 
:plained reason this abundant species is scarcely at all endan- 
d by the presence of insectivorous birds. 
PREVENTION AND REMEDY. 
is evident upon a moment’s reflection, that we cannot hope to 
ce seriously the numbers of this insect except by the most gen- 
measures, since it is so widely distributed at all seasons, 
ething to this end may probably be done by clean farming, 
cially by burning the rubbish on the ground in late autumn, when 
plant bugs may be caught in hibernation; but we shall un¬ 
itedly have to depend on repelling their attacks when they threaten 
cy, rather than on forestalling them by preventive measures. 
need not weary the reader with a rehearsal of the various un- 
ded recommendations which have been made for the destruction 
lis insect, since only two of them have been previously tested 
etual trial, and one of these was an entire failure. The exper- 
e of Mr. Ayers, as reported by Prof. Riley in the American 
>mologist and Botanist, is here in point. He says, “Mr Ayers 
many applications of different kinds this spring to ward them 
but even some cresylic soap, which we sent him for that express 
>ose, proved ineffectual, as the following experience will show: 
I first tried it according to directions, one pound of soap to ten 
•ns of water, and it was impossible to kill the bugs with it ex- 
by drowning; and they would swim in it an unaccountably long 
before they would die. I then doubled the strength, using one 
Ld of the soap to five gallons of water. After immersing one of 
1 in this twice it would get dry and fly away; but by keeping 
wet with it for ten minutes, it would finally kill him. I thor- 
dy saturated several rows of trees with it at the strength above 
! id, and three hours afterward found the bugs as thick as ever, 
1 sucking away at the buds and leaves, as if nothing had hap- 
d.’ ” 
Ayers finally protected his pear trees by going over all of 
l in the morning, and shaking each branch, causing the bugs 
dl into a basin of soapsuds. Three repetitions of this operation 
ed to be sufficient. 
om my experience with them in the strawberry fields, last spring, 
ve no doubt that they could be easily and very profitably cap- 
l by boys with insect nets, and a little kerosene in tin buckets, 
linly in the nursery, this method would be cheap and effective, 
(eating the twigs back and forth with the net, in the cool of the 
when the insects are sluggish, great numbers of them could be 
lly caught; and by occasionally inverting and shaking the net 
