New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-28
CHRONOLOGICAL HONOR.
THE, KISSING BUG IS VALIANT AND KNOWS
ITS PLACE. AND THAT PLACE
is PATERSON

This is undoubtedly the year for insects. Sea SER
pents will not be much heard OF. and even land
snakes will be less the subject OF stories than
usual But tho oldest nhabitant is in despair
when he tries TO remember year when there nave
been so many insects that do so many different
thirgs The latest novelty is known scientifically
as the melnolestes picipes. and popularly-or
rather unpopularly-as the kissing bug. IL was
first heard Of IN Washington. where 1t sent twenty
persons straight to the hospital and Is now threat
ening to revoutonize Paterson. The hope or the
rest OF the country is that 1t will not be able to get
out OF Paterson
Remarkable characteristics OF the bug are the
intrepedity and the disregard OF military science
with which It makes its attacks In the strongest
places instead of the weakest-that Is TO say, the
strongest parts of the country not Of the individual
victim II strikes arst straight at the National
Capital where the Smithsonian Institution is, and
where there are bacerologsts and all that sort OF
thing drawing huge salaries and longing Tor
chances to work out the curves OF new MICROBES
such as this Insect is said TO carry around IN lts
besk and deposit in the holes that II punches
with It.
Having thus presented its credentials officially as
II were II selects as its next field for activity the
very State OF the whole Union which Is best pre-
pared TO receive It. In New-Jersey the naoit OF
incasing entire houses or even blocks, In cages OF
MOSQUITO netting is an old one. In some places
they even use double doors so that the heads OF
the families can get out to go to their business In
New-York without letting the mosquitoes IN And
It Is this sort Of defence which the kissing bug does
not hesitate to defy. More than this the people or
New-Jersey always become, early IN the summer
so thoroughly inoculated with the microoe or the
old fashioned mosquito that they do not care much
| what other microbe attacks them A micrope more
| or less does not disturb q Jerseyman
That is where the kissing bug shows his SUPERIOR
ity He does not care for an easy victim. like
| New-York MIN. He goes to New-Jer5ey, dehe3 tho
strategy of his foes into the presence OF his
victim after all his precautions, AID stings him on
the upper lip the only part OF the human anatomy
! which interests hu1. Then he chuckes and says:
FIa ha! You don't care for microbes. don't you?
| Try mlne" 80, =,
| Then the luckless Jerseyman wakes up-this Is
| always done while he Is asleep not even KISSING
| bug would ever hope to harm a Jerseyman when he
| was awake-and he finds his upper lip swelled to a
size that IL is no use TO mention because nobody
| would believe II. and he goes 10 the hospital and
| wants TO know what right mosquito had TO use
| Weapons that are forbidden by the Peace Con-
! ference And the doctor says; on that Is not the
| bite OF a cuex pipiens but OF melanoestes
| And the grateful patient says Then don't do any
name than have been used to- just let get accus-
toned 10 its microbes, and dare say shall learn
| TO enjoy them" And the meanolestes picipes
seems 10 be an honorable sort OF beast to go only
| where IL IL distinctly wanted, and doubt its
sense OF honor will keep IL out OF NewYork. where
the wonders OF foreign lands but feel themselves to
be less worthy OF extreme tests OF fortitude than
! the Inhabitants OF NewJersey.
.