Bacon-Beetles. ^43 



find their \va\- in, oven where windows are kept 

 closed and doors only opened to allow passage to 

 the inhabitants and their friends. These enemies are 

 so small and individually so insignificant that, like 

 love in the proverb, they can laugh at locksmiths. 

 In warmer lands the owner of the castle has to gi\'e 

 shelter to a far greater number of intruders than 

 afflicts the British householder whom ("okr had in 

 his mind, but even here there are sufficient of them 

 to form the subjects of a most entertaining book, 

 such as that which ]\h". E. A. l>utler luis written. 



To say nothing for the moment of cockroaches, 

 crickets, flies, and moths, of sexx'ral kinds, there are 

 beetles that clestro\- om- furniture, others that spoil 

 the cigars of the lord of the castle, and some moir 

 daring that attack the food stores of his lady. p,,oiohy e.sup.f.l.s. 



Among the latter is one that speciallv attacks hams The B.\con -Beetle. 



-mrl Ivi. Mil -inrl \\-hr>«. mi^rlpprlti nro <nfFiripnth^ \Vf>ll -^ '"'''''■ *'''" '^ "'*''" ""^ ^'^I'lo'is Pf'st "' provision 

 anCl Oaton, an(l\\n0SC misaeeaS aiC SUmCieniU wen „arcluniscs and oth.r plaas where drlod meats 



l-nr>\xn t,, Im-o ,.ni-ii,.rl i+ -n-lTof ^.r,n■■^' foxx' Koofli^^ are stored. .-\s shown it is four times larger than 



known to lia\e eainecl it — wnat vei\ itw Dec tics ,|,,.,,i^,, n,.- chief mischief is done by it whilst 

 possess — a popular name, and this name in a '" H"' f^rui, stage. 

 latinized form' has been acce})ted bv science. The bacon-beetle is only 

 about a third of an inch long, with a breadth not (juite half its length, 

 the fore-boch' and the hinder half of the wing-cases black, but the front 

 half grey. The upper side of the beetle is co\-ercd with hairs, and the 

 grey band is due to the colour of the hairs in that region, the wing-cover beneath 

 it being dark red. The remaining principal feature is the form of the antennse, 

 whose three terminal joints are enlarged, giving a clubbed appearance to the organs. 



In these days when we no longer curc^ our own bacon or keep a stock of hams, 

 this beetle is less seen in the house than formerlv ; but ])rovision merchants still 

 suffer greatly from its depredations. It is n\'ill\' the grub of the beetle that does 

 the mischief. This is a very hair\' bea^t, and its ty})e of clothing is shared by all 

 the members of its famil\-, one of wliieh is the detestcxl museum-beetle.- The 

 hairs form bundles, and the\- can be contracted or spread out at the will of the 

 grub. The\- are operated in a wa\- that greatly assists ]:)rogress in narrow passages, 

 and it is, conse(]uentl\', a diflieult matter to hold one of them between tlu^ lingers. 



Some \-ears ago we wfre the recipients of a box containing some hundreds 

 of these grubs which h;ul causc>d great havoc among bacon in a domestic store-room. 

 The sender was an angltM-, and wishing if possible to get some counter\-ailing 

 advantage out of his misfortune sent them to know if we thought they would 

 serve as bait. Not Ixnng disciples of I/.aak \\'alton we could only express a general 

 opinion and suggest that he should ui\e them ;i tiial. Judging from the numbers 

 which reached us — a mere sample we hoped that a hea\-\- creel would in part 

 recoup him for the damage the larv;e must ha\-e inflicted ; but whether the experi- 

 ment was a success we ne\"er heard. 



It ma\- be surmised that smoked liam- and flitches of bacon not being a direct 

 ' Dermcstes lardarius. - .\ntlirenus musa^orum. 



