158 MODERN CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS. 



Moreover the holes were of various sizes. {Phil. Mag. No. 267. ; and 

 Literary Museum, vol. ii. p. 171.) These insects appear to be generally 

 distributed ; indeed, the Derm, vulpinus, which is common throughout 

 Europe and America, was also discovered in Java by Dr. Horsfield : 

 a circumstance evidently attributable, as Mr. MacLeay imagines, to 

 the attendance of these skin-feeding insects upon man. I possess 

 specimens of the same species from Chili and Brazil, as well as speci- 

 mens found alive in London amongst Brazilian merchandise. The 

 last-named species was, indeed, some years ago so injurious in the 

 large skin warehouses of London, that a reward of 20,000/. was 

 offered for an available remedy, without, however, any being dis- 

 covered. The same insect, both in the larva and perfect state, has 

 also been ascertained to be equally injurious to cork, an entire cargo 

 of that article having been completely destroyed by an immense 

 number of this insect, which fed upon it, as well as upon the timbers of 

 the ship ; a circumstance recently communicated by Mr. Bowerbahk 

 to the Entomological Society. 



The larva {fig- H. 9.) of Dermestes lardarius, the Bacon-beetle, is 

 long, and gradually narrowed towards the extremity of the body, which 

 is terminated by a truncate cone having a fleshy lobe at its tip, which 

 is employed as a proleg ; the body, exclusive of the head, is composed 

 of twelve segments, each of which is clothed with long scattered hairs, 

 and protected above by a coriaceous plate, having also a pair of short 

 curved horny spines upon the last segment of the body ; the head, 

 {fig. 14. 10.) is scaly, with six small ocelli on each side {fig. H. 12.), 

 and two short triarticulate antennai {^fig. 14. li.); the mandibles are 

 short, but very robust, and with several teeth at the tips {fig. 14. 13.) ; 

 the maxilla; are short, with two terminal lobes, the interior of which is 

 a corneous hook, as in the imago ; the maxillary palpi are very short, 

 and 3-jointed {fig. 14. 14.) ; the labium {fig. 14.15.) also closely 

 resembles that of the imago ; the legs are short and scaly {fig. 14. 16.). 



These larva; shed their skins several times, which subsequently re- 

 main extended, so as closely to resemble the larvae themselves. They 

 reside for the most part in skins and the carcases of animals, making 

 sad havoc in collections of Natural History, and in the stores of the 

 furriers, gnawing the roots of hairs and feathers, and thereby causing 

 them to fall. These larvae have been accurately described and figured 

 by Herbst {Natursyst. vol. iii. and iv.), Gcedart (No. 124.), Frisch 

 (vol. i. t. 10. pt. 3. pi. 18. and vol. i. pt. 5. t. 8, 9.), De Geer {Mem. 



