io6 Second Report oii Economic Zoology. 



vviiie bottle, which it had completely eaten so as to cause the wine to 

 escape ; and that it had made a small case for itself of bits of cork. 



Mr. Hope mentioned that in India it M-as well-known that the 

 Blaitce will not attack anything coated with resin anime, and which 

 is accordingly employed as a defence against their attacks in covering 

 the corks of bottles, etc. 



The Lepidopteron referred to by Babington was evidently the 

 01. V-Jlava. 



[Since first going to press, Dr. Newton Pitt has sent me the necks 

 of some champagne bottles from the Armourers' Hall, all of which 

 liad leaked and become spoilt owing to infection of the corks. All 

 five sent were of different brands of champagne, showing probably a 

 common source of origin, which, evidently, was in the cellars of the 

 company at Armourers' Hall, These specimens clearly showed the 

 damage to be due to Oinopliila V-flara, and, in one, I found the 

 cocoon of the moth embedded between the cork and the upper part of 

 the neck of the bottle. In all there was a distinct hole to the exterior. 



There w^ere also enclosed a number of Psocidcc, the so-called Death 

 Watch and Book Mite Insects. These proved to be another species 

 than that mentioned on p. 104 — the common Glothilla 2yulsatorm. 

 They feed upon cork, but do not do very much harm.] 



Other Animal Pests. 

 Crustacea. 



A single species of Woodlouse now and then occurs in cellars 

 and devours corks, both when in bottles and loose ; this species is 

 known as Oniscus mnrarius. 



Mollusca. 



The large slug Limax Jlavus occurs in cellars and will feed on 

 any refuse. It is accused, sometimes, of devouring corks and eating 

 into those in bottles. Jeffreys, on the other hand, says, " they are 

 sometimes useful in eating that kind of fungus which causes dry rot 

 and another kind which infests cellars and makes choice port wine 

 what is termed 'corked' ('British Conchology,' vol. i., p. 130, 1862) 

 I have recently found numbers of this large species feeding upon the 

 fungus formed round beer drippings." 



Mr. George Massee writes from the lioyal Gardens at Kew, that 

 he " knows of no literature wliatever on the subject of fungi attacking 

 corks, and I have," he says, " no personal experience. Some years 

 ago a similar question was asked at Kew by a wine merchant, but, 

 although I asked for material, I did not receive any." 



