Furniture Pests. 



121 



Glyciphagiis Hpinipa^ of Kocli, and G. dumcstln'x, De Geer. G. apinipefi 

 is an abundant and widely distributed mite, and feeds chiefly on 

 dried animal and vegetable matter. It is found abundantly in stra\s 

 and hay, also in flour, meal, cantharides, horsehau; etc. G. doincsticus 

 is also an abundant acarus in houses, sheds, stables, etc., and feeds 

 on hay, straw, bran, on dried fruits, dead insects, cork, tobacco, and 

 unclean horsehair. It is frequently found in furniture. Oudemans 

 found it " literally covering the furniture of the whole house," and 

 states that they fed on the animal fat which adhered to the not 

 thoroughly cleaned horsehair with which the furniture was stuffed. 



A ' B 



Fig. 15. — household mitks. 



A. O'li/ciphagiis iloinest ictis (De Geei). B. G. S2niiijies (Koch). 



(After Albeit Michael.) 



It is thus likely they often originate from the stuffing used, l)ut it 

 is not possible to say. 



Nine species of this genus of mites occcur in Great Britain. 

 Three species (G. dispar, Michael ; G. crameri, Michael ; and G. pla- 

 tygaster, INIichael) live in moles' nests ; one {G. semrus, Haller), in 

 squiiTel nests ; the others {G. palmifer, Eol)t. Fum. ; G. canestrini, 

 Armanelli ; and G. pUDiiujcr, Koch), commonly in staltle fodder and 

 in dust and sawdust. 



LiFE-HISTOKY. 



These minute acari deposit their eggs amongst the substances 

 upon which they feed. The eggs are comparatively laige, oval and 

 smooth-shelled, of a dull grey or white, the outer covering ])eing 



