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lthough a very few of these insects are devoured by birds, no 
ural enemies are known to have any positive effect upon their 
sobers; There is some evidence, however, that wet seasons are 
irious to them. 
he general distribution of these plant bugs at all seasons of the 
r makes it impossible to exterminate them or seriously to 
inish their numbers by artificial means, unless the clearing up 
burning of rubbish late in autumn might have that effect, 
attention of the orchardist and gardener whose fruits and vege- 
es are threatened by this insect, should rather be directed to 
isures for defending directly the crops endangered. The insects 
/ be caught easily in cool mornings by beating with an insect 
the tips of the twigs and leaves of the plants in which they 
ally lie concealed at that time, and may then be readily killed by 
king them out into a bucket containing a little kerosene, or a 
of kerosene on water. They may also be destroyed by sprinkling 
lusting the foliage with pyrethrum, or spraying it with diluted 
>sene emulsion. Any and even all these measures of defense may 
lsed with great profit whenever the insects are numerous enough 
hreaten any serious damage. 
T e need yet to know the precise time and place of oviposition; 
jj degree of injury attributable to this insect, the conditions 
er which this injury is peculiarly likely to become serious, especi- 
in the strawberry field, and the exact number of broods appear- 
in the course of the year. 
dditional experiments with preventive and remedial agents are 
vise to be desired. 
The Dusky Plant Bug. 
Derceocoris rapidus, Say. 
Order Hemiptera. Family Capsids. 
[Plate XIV, Figs. 1 and 2.1 
Ais insect has not*hitherto been suspected of any injury to culti- 
d vegetation, as far as I can learn, nor has it even been men- 
ted in the literature of economic entomology. Its occurrence 
; ywliere in strawberry fields last spring, with the mischievous 
I ished plant bug already treated, both in the same ages, stages 
: situations, and both found only on the fruit, left no room for 
)t that this species was in part responsible for the mischief 
irent. 
!; Anna its numbers were not remarkable, but at Centralia, in 
s whose appearance gave evidence of damage scarcely inferior 
i that noticed further south, I found it hardly less numerous 
its companion. It is quite as widely distributed as Li/gus 
laris, occurring from the Atlantic region to San Francisco; 
is less abundant, but still an extremely common insect through- 
i Illinois. 
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