THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 185 



rather difticult to count, they are so small. One of the long joints is 

 shorter than the others, but I don't recall whether it is the 7th or 8th. 

 This is a very peculiar form of antenna, and would still be so if there were 

 the normal number of eleven joints. Your insect is furnished with a single 

 ocellus between the eyes, which is a very rare character in beetles. Some 

 Dermestid?e have one ocellus, and in the Horaalini of the Staphylinidse 

 there are two somewhat distant ones. The only other instance I have been 

 able to find is in the case of Hylotonms biicephalus, from Sierra Leone, 

 belonging to the family Paussid?e, which is not represented in this 

 country. Here there are again two ocelli. I shall probably hear from 

 Cambridge in a day or two, and will write you again." A few days later 

 he wrote : "I heard from Henshaw yesterday. Like myself, he is unable 

 to furnish any clue at all to the beetle's relations. T think that all that can 

 be said of it is that it is a member of the great Serricorn series, which 

 includes such a variety of types. \n the Leconte and Horn Classification 

 this embraces families XXXIX.— LL, but Casey (Jour. N. Y. Ent. Soc, 

 Vol. VL, p. 76) is inclined to go further and add several other groups, 

 hitherto considered Clavicorn. Just wliere your beetle comes in I can't 

 say. The whole arrangement of the Serricornia would have to be care- 

 fully studied first, as it does not appear that your anomaly belongs to any 

 recognized family." I had, in one of my letters to Mr. Blanchard, spoken 

 of the varied contents of the cedar-closet in which the puzzling pest was 

 found, and hinted jocosely tliat the presence of some ancient Egyptian 

 relics, mummy wrappings, beads and images of Osiris, might possibly 

 account for this strange visitant. He writes : " I note your playful 

 remarks about a possible relation to ancient Egyptian dynasties, disclosed 

 from the tombs of the Pharaohs and starting upon a new career of useless- 

 ness, and am rem.inded of the stories of still fertile seed? of grain reported 

 to have been taken from tombs in the land of the Nile." 



In the meantime I had sent specimens to Messrs. Schwarz and Fall. 

 The former was too busy just them to reply, but I heard through others 

 that he was unable to throw any light on the matter. Mr. Fall wrote : 

 " I have just received your letter and the box containing specimens of that 

 most astonishing little creature found eating your specimens in New York. 

 I would like much to know the circumstances a little more exactly. 

 Were the specimens attacked native or exotic? If native, were they from 

 Florida? And how long had they been in the box? Could they have 

 found access from any other source in the closet itself? I feel sure that 



