THE DERMESTIDM. 293 



to do this several times, and especially wheft the adult insects 

 have just undergone their metamorphosis, so as to prevent eggs 

 being laid. 



The engraving shows on the right hand the black beetle of 

 Dermestes vidpinus and its larvae, and on the left hand Dermestes 

 lardariiis is represented, the beetle having paler elytra. A Der- 

 mestes which has an oval shape and antennze of eleven joints 

 is readily known by its black colour, and by a white spot on 

 each elytra. It also destroys furs, and is frequently found in 

 houses. Megatoma pellio, as it is called, has a reddish-brown 

 larva, which is covered with long and brilliant hairs, and which 

 has on its end a brush of them looking like a tail, eats all kinds 

 of furs, and even feathers. Some very small kinds, which have 

 short, thick-set, and almost globular bodies, frequent flowers in 

 fine weather. One of them {AntJirefius museorwji) is a beetle 

 about the tenth of an inch long, and is the terror of all collectors 

 of insects. The larvae do not hesitate to demolish any collection 

 of insects amongst which they may be born, and they commit 

 an infinity of damage in a short time. They get into the interior 

 of the insects, which they eat, and are hardly to be seen except 

 when they undergo their metamorphosis. The nymph is pro- 

 tected by the skin of the larva, underneath which it lives. 



Another large family of small insects, allied to those we have 

 just described, are known as Mushroom Eaters, These little 

 beetles have a broad body, and their elytra are often decorated 

 with yellow or red points. Their larvae resemble those of Der- 

 mestes, but they have not so many hairs. 



The HydrophilidcE are for the most part leaf-eating or herbi- 

 vorous insects, and they are developed so as to be able to swim 

 and even to live in water. They have short antennae, which are 

 inserted under the sides of the head, and they have very long 

 palps, which are thread-shaped and pendent. The remarkable 

 size of these appendages to the mouth formerly gave to these 

 beetles the name of Palpieornes. One of the most notable 

 peculiarities of the structures of these beetles is observed in the 

 females, which have some glands in the abdomen which produce 

 a silky substance that covers their eggs with an impervious 

 cocoon. This is quite unique amongst the Colcoptera ; and the 



