June, '19] SCIENTIFIC NOTES 273 



Anthrenus verbasci Linn., a Seventeen- Year Breeding Record. April 4, 1902, two 

 ears of popcorn, infested by this insect, were received and placed in a two quart Mason 

 jar and the latter kept tightly closed with no moisture aside from that in the some- 

 what dried corn. Breeding has continued apparently uninterrupted for seventeen 

 years, namely to April 4, 1919, at which time a living larva was found and there are 

 presumably others aUve, either adults or larvae, though June 26, 1918, rather close 

 search failed to disclose anything Uving. In the spring of 1909 (Journ. Ecox. Ext., 

 2: 193) the bottom of the jar was nearly covered with fine, white, globose particles, 

 apparently starch grains, fallen from the eaten kernels of corn and there was a thick 

 mass of brown larval skins and other debris. Conditions were practically the same 

 in the spring of 1912 (Journ. Econ. Ent., 5: 297) except that there was more debris. 

 There then remained much uneaten corn and the same is true at the present date, 

 April 4, 1919, except that breeding appears to be reduced to a minimum, though not 

 from any scarcitj- of food. There would seem to be no reason why breeding may 

 not continue under these conditions for a considerable series of years, unless the strain 

 has become depleted through continued inbreeding. 



Those interested in the abiUty of Dermestidae to adapt themselves to untoward 

 conditions are referred to the very interesting account by J. E. Wodsedalek (Science, 

 46: 366-67, '17) in which he records the curious results following five years of starva- 

 tion of larvae of Trogoderma tarsale, which resulted in a gradual decrease in the size 

 of the larvae, the size shrinking, even to the hatching length, and increasing with 

 the scarcity and abundance of food respectively. 



E. P. Felt. 



Regarding Personal Credits in Farmers Bulletins of the U. S. Bureau of Ento- 

 mology. Until early in 1916 the custom of publishing personal credits was uniformly 

 observed in the Farmers Bulletins issued liy the Bureau of Entomology of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. About that time, however, a change in depart- 

 mental policy occurred respecting such matters, and the custom was discontinued. 

 The object in view in making this change was to render the included matter more 

 acceptable to the class of readers for whom it was intended. It was held that such 

 persons have no interest in the personnel of the originating organization back of such 

 publications, and that the inclusion of personal credits tended to detract from the 

 brevity and directness of appeal of such publications. 



That this view of the matter has much in its favor cannot be denied, but it is also 

 true that the custom of omitting personal credits has sometimes given rise to adverse 

 criticism, especially from persons who do not understand the attitude of the depart- 

 ment in this matter. A case in point is the recent issue of P'armers Bulletin 1046 on 

 the European corn l)orer under the authorship of Mr. D. J. Caffrey, who conducted 

 the bureau's portion of the investigations of this recently discovered pest. A large 

 portion of the biological investigations in connection with this work was performed 

 by the late Mr. Stuart C. Vinal under the direction of the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 College. Mr. Vinal was personally responsible for the original discovery of the insect, 

 and conducted the preliminary investigations entirely alone, and it may even be said 

 without exaggeration that he sacrificed his life for the success of the work by remain- 

 ing at his post of duty for several days while suffering from the illness which caused 

 his death. L. O. H. 



