June, '17] ILLINGWORTH: ATTAGENUS PLEBIUS 341 



pest, for it is frequently closely associated with the buffalo carpet 

 beetle (Anthrenus scrophularioe Linn.) in the destruction of their 

 finest goods. I, also, discovered an interesting relation of these insects 

 to the nesting of the English sparrows. Where these birds are in the 

 habit of nesting on banks or in buildings the beetles are attracted to 

 the masses of feathers and other animal matter used in the nest con- 

 struction. 



Distribution and History 



Apparently these beetles have not been found outside the Hawaiian 

 Islands, though they are pretty well distributed within the group. We 

 have a number of records of specimens taken on Maui and Hawaii, 

 and they are certainly abundant on Oahu, — probably a little investi- 

 gation will disclose them on all the islands, for they are an insect easily 

 transferred in shipping. 



The earliest record that we have been able to locate is the descrip- 

 tion of this beetle by Sharp^ in which he gives the note ''Found in 

 Houses in Honolulu." We are surprised, after observing the depreda- 

 tions of this pest, that more references to it can not be located. 



Life-History 



A study of the life-history was comparatively easy, since the several 

 stages advanced so rapidly under our tropical conditions. In one 

 instance the whole life cycle required only 150 days. It is interesting 

 to compare this record with that of the closely related Attagenus piceus 

 of the United States, which Chittenden found took two years for its 

 development from egg to beetle. 



Newly-emerged beetles were confined in a glass dish and supplied 

 with some of the woolen cloth, which had been injured by the larvas. 

 A number of dead roaches and flies were also placed in the dish to insure 

 sufficient food. After twelve days, mating was observed, but it was 

 thirty-six days before the first eggs and newly hatched larvae were 

 discovered. 



Egg. — The creamy-white of the eggs made it difficult to discover 

 them on the cloth which was the same color, but after they were once 

 observed it was rather easy to locate them with a lens. It was found 

 that newly-laid eggs required an incubation period of about three days. 

 In form the eggs are broadly oval; being about 1 mm. wide by 2 mm. 

 long; the shape varying considerably, since they are rather soft. 



Larva. — The newly hatched larvae are noticeably large, compared 

 with the eggs from which they emerge: see Figure 18, 1 and 2, which 

 are drawn to the same scale. 



1 Trans. Royal Dublin Soc, vol. Ill, ser. II, 1885, p. 147. 



