186 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



degrees Fahrenheit, by which process all caterpillars in or 

 upon the grain are destroyed, and of course further propa- 

 gation prevented. Grain brought from the Russian sea- 

 ports Odessa or Riga always find a ready market for ex- 

 portation, on account of their excellent quality and general 

 freedom from the ravages of insects. In Germany they 

 sprinkle the floors of their granaries, and even the grain it- 

 self, with salt water, and overturn the grain heaps with 

 shovels as often as possible. 



The Carpet-moth (Tinea tapetzella). 



This is another very small, but very annoying and trou- 

 blesome moth. It has dark-brown fore wings, and gray- 

 ish-brown hind wings. It flies around in the beginning of 

 summer, depositing its eggs in carpets, the cloth lining of 

 carriages, and woolen clothes generally. Its eggs are white 

 and round, and in about three weeks from the time they are 

 laid very small caterpillars proceed from them, which are 

 yellowish white, and so transparent that any colored stuff — 

 for instance, scarlet cloth — eaten by them is distinctly visi- 

 ble in their bowels. In the cloth lining of carriages we 

 very often find thread-bare places, which are made by these 

 larvae, who bite off the woolly nap of the cloth, from which 

 they manufacture a silky cylinder-like cover over their bod- 

 ies, open at one end, from which they stretch out their 

 head when eating the hair of the wool. They form their 

 cocoons in much the same manner as other moths, and in 

 about two weeks after are again metamorphosed into per- 

 fect moths. Beating and brushing all woolen cloths liable 

 to their invasion is generally sufficient to prevent their dep- 

 redations. A cedar chest is also said to afford entire pro- 

 tection from them for all clothes kept in it, and the same is 

 true if woolens be wrapped up with camphor, or sprinkled 

 with snuff or tobacco when packed away. 



But our limits will not allow further notice of these 



