10 



CALOSOMA SYCOPHANTA. 



Fig. 2.— One of the tin boxes used for making the first shipments of 

 Calosoma beetles. (Original.) 



ments, and, as the tin did not absorb the moisture, the beetles became 

 covered with the decomposed remains and death resulted. 



The other method of using a tm package was to place several beetles 

 with larvae for food and a small quantity of sphagnum moss in each 

 box. The results, however, were not satisfactory. 



In the spring of 

 1909 several lots of 

 the native beetle Ca- 

 losoma scrutator were 

 shipped to the labo- 

 ratory from Wash- 

 ington, D. C. They 

 were packed sepa- 

 rately in small tin 

 boxes with a little 

 wet sphagnum moss 

 and arrived in good 

 condition. No food 

 was put into the 

 boxes, and the bee- 

 tles were received in less than 48 hours from the time they were 

 collected. 



In 1906 the European material was shipped in Avooden boxes instead 

 of tm. These boxes (fig. 3) were made of |-inch stock, the usual size 

 being 74 by 4 by 2 J inches. Inside of these were packed match boxes, 

 such as are used for 

 safety matches, each 

 of which contained a 

 small quantity of 

 sphagnum moss and 

 a single beetle. (See 

 fig. 4.) Occasionally 

 two beetles were 

 placed m a match 

 box, but better re- 

 sults were secured 

 when only one was 

 inclosed. By using 

 this method of pack- 

 ing and placing wet 

 moss in the boxes the mortahty during shii)ment for the year 1906 

 was 15 per cent m the case of Calosoma sycopliaaita and 38 per cent 

 in that of Calosoma inquisitor. In 1907 no specimens of C. inquisitor 

 were received, and 54 per cent of C. sycophanta died in transit. 

 This was princii)ally due to the moss being very dry in the boxes 



Fig. 3.— One of the wooden boxes used for shipping Calosoma beetles 

 from Europe. (Original.) 



