96 



In practicall}^ all of the instances of attack that have ])een mentioned 

 letters of complaint were accompanied b}^ specimens of the insects at 

 work in tobacco or other products aiiected. 



INJURIOUS OCCURRENCE OF AN EXOTIC DERMESTID IN THE UNITED 



STATES. 



Among- the beetles of the genus Dermestes, treated b}^ Dr. Horace 

 F. Ja3'ne in his paper entitled "A revision of the Dermestid{\? of the 

 United States" (Proceedings American Philosophical Society, Vol. 

 -XX, 1883, p. 353), D. cada/verhuiiYah. is included, Florida being 

 given as its only locality^ Tlorrespondence during September, 1901, 

 shows not alone that this species is apparently established in this coun- 

 try in New York City, but that it is probably an exotic form, perhaps 

 originating in China. 



September 0, IDOl, the Clifton Silk Mills, town of Union, N. J., 

 sent specimens of this species, with accompanying information that 

 the beetles and their larva3 were found in bales of dried China silk- 

 worm cocoons imported from Shanghai for reeling. Many of the 

 beetles were noticed at this time wandering about among the cocoons, 

 and a lesser numT)er of larvte. A friend of our correspondents having 

 a silk-reeling establishment in France said that this (or perhaps a 

 related) species emerged from the cocoons when the latter were kept 

 in moist places. Another friend interested in silk culture stated that 

 he found the larviB or "worms" in bales of reel silk, and that they 

 cut the silk as with a knife, establishing themselves generally beside 

 the cords which tie the l)undles, and working their way along the 

 grooves made by the cords, cutting the skeins as they go. He recol- 

 lected that larvw had been occasionally found in Italian silk. 



Our correspondents stated* that the beetles made short flights, but 

 were disinclined to use their wings. 



September l-l our correspondents called attention to the small clean 

 holes made by the injects in the cocoons, in contrast to that made b}^ 

 the silkworm moth, which in emerging makes a ragged hole, stained 

 ])rown for some distance in from the edges. It was further stated 

 that in France, where this species is found in reeling establishments 

 in raw silk, that when the packing of the silk was done near where 

 the cocoons were stored infestation was noticed. By removing the 

 packing department to a distance from the cocoons this troul)le was 

 averted. 



September 25, liM)l, the Payne Spring Tanning Company, Cumber- 

 land, Md., sent specimens of this beetle with sample of leather received 

 from a tanner in New York City, showing holes through which the 

 beetles had bored. Our correspondents stated that the leather was 

 rolled in bundles of 12 and 24 sides each, and upon opening the same 

 they found that the leather had numerous holes in it about the size 



