304 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



(Spider), a Woodland Tragedy (doings of a Batcher bird), Marriage 

 Among the Clovers, the First Papermaker, etc. The closing paper, a 

 Foreign Invasion of England, gives an admirable description of the life- 

 history of the Hessian Fly. The illustrations, about a hundred and fifty 

 in number, are very beautiful, and in clearness and excellence leave 

 nothing to be desired. Anyone with a genuine love of nature cannot fail 

 to be delighted with the book, and to derive from its perusal a knowledge 

 of many things that were secrets to him before. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



DERMESTES LARDARIUS (LINN.) IN HONEYCOMB. 



In Dr. Limner's Sixth Report of the Injurious Insects of the State 

 of New York, 1890, mention is made of the fact that Dermestes lardarius 

 was a wax-feeder. The only other reference to this habit of the insect 

 was made by Dr. C. V. Riley, in the second volume of the American 

 Entomologist for 1870. 



A few days ago, while Mr. Ross, Fellow in the Bacteriological 

 Department, was overhauling some brood comb which had been sent him 

 for studying foul broody he came across several adult beetles, many hairy 

 larvae, and moult skins, which he referred to me for identification. They 

 all belonged to Dermestes lardarius. There is not good evidence, how- 

 ever, that they were feeding upon wax ; but rather upon the dead larvte 

 and puppe of Bee Moths (Galleria mellonella) which had established them- 

 selves in the honeycomb. On opening several cocoons of the Bee 

 Moth, I found that the larvte of Dermestes had possession of the old 

 pupa-cases. The cocoons were all placed at right-angles to the direction 

 of the honeycomb cells. Many large larvae of Galleria were still to be 

 found, and their silk-lined tunnels in the honeycomb were quite in evidence. 

 A third suggestion is that the larva? of Dermestes may prey upon the 

 larvje of the bee. In this case, however, I am of the opinion that the 

 dead pupas and larvae of the Bee Moth formed the chief portion of the 

 food of Dermestes. W. Lochhead, Biological Dept. Ont. Ag. Coll. 



Justus W. Folsom, of Cambridge, Mass., received the degree of 

 Doctor of Science from Harvard University at the last commencement. 

 His thesis was based upon anatomical and embryological work among 

 the Collembola and Thysanura. 



P. H. Rolfs has accepted a position at Clemson College and 

 Experiment Station, and has accordingly changed his address from Lake 

 City, Florida, to Clemson College P.O., South Carolina. 



Mailed October 6th, 1899. 



