1899] RUST-RRD FLOUR BEETLE. 51 



easily observable by separating the abdomen of a dead specimen and 

 slightly crushing it in water, so that the wings expanded and floated ; 

 wing-cases with punctured striae ; legs ferruginous. Length from 

 slightly under up to one-sixth on an inch. 



The infested Wheat-flour in the tubes sent me was noticeably not 

 of a pure white, but of a greyish tint, and when the tubes were placed 

 on a bed of perfectly good white flour, the discoloration of that in the 

 tubes was very clearly appreciable. This discoloration is one very 

 important proof of presence of infestation, as mentioned in the follow- 

 ing extract from the heading to observations on "Flour Beetles," by 

 Mr. F. H. Chittenden, p. 112 of publication referred to below -= : — 



" Their eggs are often deposited in the flour in the mills, and these 

 and the larvffi they produce being minute and pale in colour readily 

 escape notice ; but after the flour has been barreled or placed in bags 

 and left unopened for any length of time, the adult beetles make their 

 appearance, and in due course the flour is ruined, for when the insects 

 have time to propagate they soon convert the flour into a grey useless 

 mass. A part of the annoyance to purchaser, dealer, and manufacturer 

 is due to the fact that the insects are highly offensive, a few specimens 

 being sufficient to impart a disagreeable and persistent odour to the 

 infested substance." — (F. H. C.) 



I had not sufficient material to give opportunity of thorough ob- 

 servation of the matter of unpleasantness of smell, but the grey colour 

 was very observable, also the injured state of the flour. 



The geographical distribution of this species is of considerable 

 importance as to possibilities of its transmission in cargoes of grain or 

 flour, and the following observations on this head are taken from some 

 of the notices on ' Insect Life,' published by the Division of Entomo- 

 logy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington. 



In " Nos. 7 and 8," vol. iii., 1891, at p. 333, is a note of damage 

 caused by this infestation in company with other kinds being forwarded 

 by the U.S. Consul, Maracaibo, Venezuela (South America) to the 

 Entomologist of the U.S.A. Department of Agriculture. In this case 

 the damage was to ripe Indian corn after it was shelled and stored, 

 and in the official reply it was stated that the four kinds sent were 

 "cosmopolitan beetles, and infest stored grain all the world over." 



In No. 3, vol. vi., Feb. 1894, Prof. C. V. Riley, in his report on 

 " The Insects occurring in the Foreign Exhibits of the World's 

 Columbian Exposition," mentioned that " Tribulium fernigineum , Fab., 

 occurred in the cereal exhibits of most of the countries of tropical and 

 subtropical America, Asia, and Africa. . . . Common also in 

 Europe, and well distributed over this country " [i.e. United States of 



* ' The Principal Household Insects of the United States,' Bulletin No. 4, New 

 Series, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, 1896. 



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