Reports to the Board of AgricMlture, 41 



GROUP F. 



Animals which concern Man as being injurious to his 

 worked-up Products of Art and Industry, such as (A) his 

 various Buildings and larger Constructions, Habitations, 

 (B) Furniture and Books, Drapery and Clothing, (C) Food 

 and Stores."" 



SUB-GEOUP B. 



Furniture Beetles and Clothes Moths. 



I. Furniture Beetles. 



Seveeal enquiries have been received from correspondents of the 

 Board concerning Furniture Beetles and Clothes Moths. 



The so-called Furniture Beetles are usually known as " Death 

 Watches " ; they are beetles belonging to the genera Anohium and 

 Xestolmm. The group of beetles to which they belong, the AnoUina, 

 are mostly found in old wood ; several are found in houses, the two 

 commonest being the Anobium domesticum, Foure, and Xestobivm 

 tessellatum, F. Eleven species of AnoUina are found in Great 

 Britain ; the two previously mentioned and A. paniceum, L., and 

 ErnoUus mollis, L., are the domestic forms. Furniture and wood- 

 work are chiefly damaged by A. domesticum and X tessellatum. The 

 species A. paniceum attacks all kinds of stored goods, such as flour, 

 bread, biscuits, medicinal stores, skins, etc., and has been introduced 

 into most of our towns, but appears not to be common in Scotland. 



Anohium domesticum is a most destructive furniture pest, the 

 larvffi eating galleries into the solid wood, and often so completely 

 riddling it that it falls to pieces ; tables, chairs, and furniture may 

 become so honey-combed by these pests that they suddenly collapse. 

 The exits to these galleries are seen as small round holes in the 

 wood-work. In soft woods they soon cause complete destruction. 



Xesidbium tessellatum is also generally distributed, and occurs in 

 old trees, such as oaks and willows, but especially in old wood in 

 churches and houses. It is also rare in Scotland. 



Both these species make a curious ticking noise, which has given 

 rise to their popular name of " Death Watch." This noise is made 



