The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1899-08-04
THE KISSING BUG" SCARE.

The North Atlantic seabO0rd has
recently had visitation Of insect
poisoning, reaching from Richmond,
Virginia, to Augusta, Maine, which
has been treated to the usual newspa-
per exploitation and sensation mon
gering and has been dgnified by. Me
daily press with the sobriquct Of The
"Kissing Bug Plague" In the par
lance Of yellow Journalism, the "kiss-
ing bug" which they would lead their
readers to believe Is an entirely new
creature, presumably discovered by
some enterprising reporter, is none
other that the well known MelanOles-
tes picipes, Of the sub-family Pratt.
na. Perhaps an occasional reader Of
these sensational accounts of serious
illness and even OF death from the
"bite" OF this insect has stopped to
wonder how it has come that this
species. with its death-dealing powers
has suddenly sprung into notoriety.
Ii the mere puncture from its power
ful proboscis is capable of such re.
suits, and the fondness for puncturing
the human lips, from which it de-
rives its newspaper name, is one Of its
principal characteristics, how does it
come that, although known to science
nearly Il century, its terrors have
heen left for this last year Of the
nineteenth century to disclose?
The kissing bug" is no commoner
this year than usual; OF the genus Me-
lanolestes, the two not uncommon
species, M. piclpes, with black, pce.
Gus legs, and NJ. abdominalis, with
the sides and sometimes the whole
upper surface OF the abdomen red,
are to be observed by entOmologists
around electric lights In our parks, or
in decayed matter, or under stones 10
our woods, with about thesame fire.
Quency as always before. "They are
active, blood.thirsty insects, and in.
flict severe wound upon hhe hand Of
the incautious collector" has been
said of them; although to describe
them as "blood.thirsty" gives a false
idea OF creature whien, probably,
never uses its pr0boscis on man for
any other purpose other than self-de-
Tense. There is no proof whatever
that they are thirsty, in the
sense that that term may be applied
to the mosquito. l have handled
scores OF both species, and l have
been bitten but once; and then only
because l carclessly pinched picipes
too tightly between thumb and finger.
In lifting it from the ground to my
killing JAR The wound made in my
thumb was excessively painful, be-
cause my powerful little antagonist
had no difficulty in piercing to the
bone; but there was no more poison
about it than about the pune ture OF a
clean knife blade. For Melanolestes
is not possessed Of any virous or pols-
on-secreting apparatus whatever; the
occasional poisonous effects observed
as following wound from its probos-
els are entirely due to the food or en-
vironments II Is lately from.
Its present reputation depends on
the fact that an attache OF the Agri.
cultural Department In Washington,
and a gentleman In Wilmington, Del
aware, both captured specimen Of NJ.
picipes In the very act OF biting, and,
In one Of these cases a slight degree oil
poisoning followed. The specimens
captured were identified by U. S. En-.
tomologist L. o. Howard and-the
newspapers did the rest.
Since this took place 10 early June,
the leading papers have reported
about forty cases, 90 far % ] have been
able to nnd BY recourse toa careful
clipping service. In only three Of
these cases has Melsnolestes been an
Mndoubted offender; and N every onS
Of these the pain Of the puncture and
! alIeht amonal Of poisoning In two
l ..Au. 4. ~ 4h~~a sSaa ~ a. II Avn