152 



HARD Wl CKE 'S S CI EN CE-GO SSIP. 



a solution should be made of one quarter of an ounce 

 of the sublimate in] half a pint of methylated spirit 

 (not "methylated finish "), which is to be applied to 

 the specimens with a pretty stiff brush, taking care 

 that it penetrates all corners and crevices. Every 

 plant should be treated in this way, as it not only 

 prevents the attacks of insects in the future, but 

 entirely destroys any animal life that may be already 

 there. The sheets are then to be again subjected to 

 pressure for twelve hours, after which they will be 

 ready for the herbarium. 



It only remains now to arrange the specimens in 

 proper order, but as it is unnecessary to do this until 

 a large number have been collected, we will leave the 

 consideration of it at present. Meantime the sheets 

 should be laid flat in a box, secured from dust, kept 

 in a dry place, and not exposed to the light more 

 than necessary. 



I 



A RARE ACARUS. 

 ( Glyciphagits plumiger. ) 



N the February number of Science-Gossip I 

 announced the capture, for the first time in this 



Fig. 102. Glyciphagits plumiger (mag.). 



country, of that singular and beautiful acarus 

 Glyciphagits palmifir, which since that time I have 

 bred pretty freely in confinement. Whenever I 

 have visited the same locality subsequently, I have 

 not failed to search in the hopes of finding what 

 may be called the companion mite, Glyciphagits 

 plumiger, but up to a late period unsuccessfully. 

 On my last visit, a few weeks ago, my search was 

 unexpectedly rewarded by finding a single specimen 

 of this species, which is scarcely less beautiful than 

 Palmifer itself. I say unexpectedly, because I found 

 it where I did not anticipate doing so. Messrs. 



Robin and Fumose, the highest living authorities, 

 who have treated of these two species in a most 

 exhaustive manner in the "Journal de 1'Anatomie et 

 de la ^hysiologie " for 186S, say that it is found 

 chiefly in the dust and walls of damp cellars along 

 with Palmifer, and there I looked for it without 

 finding it. I eventually found it in fodder in a stable, 

 where I was looking for other mites, and I find that 

 this is the place given for it by Koch, in his 

 " Deutschlands Crustaceen, &c," published in 1834 ; 

 and Robin does not omit its being found there. 



I am not aware that there is any record of the 

 capture of this species in this country hitherto, and 

 the late Andrew Murray, in his ' ' Economic Entomo- 

 logy," treats it as not having been yet found here ; 

 but Mr. George, of Kirton-Lindsay, informs me that 

 he has in his possession a single specimen which some 

 gentleman in that neighbourhood found, also in hay. 

 As therefore it has been found in two remote parts 

 of the country, between which there would not be 

 likely to be communication, and which are both 

 agricultural, we may, I think, fairly claim this as a 

 British species, although only a single individual has 

 been detected in each instance. 



The genus Glyciphagits was founded by 

 Hering upon the type of a mite which he 

 found in dried prunes ; and taking only the 

 conspicuous characteristics, it may easily be 

 known by the following ; — viz., 1. legs of five 

 joints, terminated by a small sucker and very 

 minute single claw ; 2. the skin of the back 

 being closely and irregularly plicated, so as to 

 have a soft look ; 3. the hairs on the body 

 being either plumose or developed into 

 transparent leaf-like expansions ; 4. the fe- 

 males having a small conical projection or 

 button on the anus, the use of which is not at 

 present known. The last two characters are 

 practically almost sufficient for identifica- 

 tion. 



The leaf-like membranous hairs are peculiar 

 to Palmifer ; the plumose hairs attain their 

 highest development in the present species, 

 no other known sort approaching it in this 

 respect, and it is to this fact that it owes 

 its peculiar beauty ; the hairs, indeed, remind 

 one of miniature ostrich-plumes, as will be 

 seen by the drawing, which I think may 

 possibly be of interest, because it is carefully 

 drawn from the female, and I am not aware that 

 the female has hitherto been figured. Robin's 

 beautiful illustration is of the male only, and Koch's, 

 which does not state sex, is, contrary to his usual 

 habit, so poorly drawn that it might be either, 

 but I think it is the male. The sexes both in this 

 and Palmifer are very different and easy to distinguish. 

 The average length is about 35 mm., and the width 

 about 25 mm. 



A. Michael. 



best 



