ENTOMOLOGY. 569 



tion, the perfect insect appearing to be attracted by sweet substances like 

 the beautiful green June beetle. Of this last-namea insect I have ob- 

 served a dozen to be collected in the space of about six inches on the bark of a 

 tree recently wounded, and from which the sweet sap was slowly exuding. 

 These June beetles do considerable injury to the ripe fig in the south by wouuji- 

 ing and burrowing into the fruit. 



Amongst the beetles having the antennae or feelers ending in a two or foni 

 jointed club, we find the so-called bacon beetle, injurious to dried meat and 

 salted provisions. There are also several others of the hairy larvce, which 

 destroy skins and feathers. These insects ai'e also very destructive in collections 

 of natural history and dried insects. The best means of exterminating them 

 in an entomological cabinet we have found to be the free use of the strongest 

 scented benzine applied in the boxes every two or three weeks. Camphor and 

 kreosotc have also been recommended for the same purpose, but are much 

 more expensive. The large yellowish brown and black carrion beetles, found 

 in dead animals, also belong to this family, but do no harm. The short-wiuged 

 beetles, commonly known as rove beetles, have such very short wing-cases, 

 covering only a part of the abdomen or hind body, that by young entomolo- 

 gists they would scarcely be classed among the sheath-winged insects. They, 

 however, are not injurious, many of them being even beneficial as preying on 

 other insects. 



We now come to the water beetles, which are easily distinguished by the^r 

 oval form, and hind legs fringed with hairs, most admirably adapted to swim- 

 ming. These insects mostly pass the larva state in the water, and the perfect 

 beetle, although generally found on or under the water, is able to fly from pond 

 to pond. This is generally done at night, or during damp, cloudy weather. 

 The height to which they sometimes fly is very great, one of the largest spe- 

 cies having been found on the flat roof of a building six stories in height. The 

 little black beetles seen sporting on the surface of the water, dancing, as it 

 were, in regular circles, present a somewhat singular structure of the eyes, as 

 they possess four, two of them arranged so as to be above the surface of the 

 water and two of them below. We have frequently seen them capture and 

 devour other insects, which accidentally have fallen into the water. All this 

 family are beneficial, as destroying aquatic larvae and insects, although some 

 of the larger species are said also to destroy fish spawn. 



The meal worm, found in flour and meal, is the larva of a blackish brown 

 colored beetle. These meal worms are much used in Germany by bird fanciers, 

 and are recommended as food for the nightingale, and would be excellent for 

 mocking birds and other soft-billed insectivorous birds when kept in cages in 

 this country. These meal worms are preserved in covered stone jars filled with 

 stale bread, old meal, flannel, &;c., and may be bred and used as required. 

 When infesting meal or flour the lars'as may be separated from it by sifting 

 through a fine sieve, and if very numerous artificial heat might be used, as 

 for the grain weevil. 



The black, ash gray, and striped potato fly, or cantharis, injures the foliage 

 of the potato. Harris states that they may be destroyed by brushing or 

 shaking from the plants into broad tin buckets or basins partly filled with water 

 with a small portion of turpentine, or caught by sweeping a deep muslin net 

 over the plants, and then emptying them for one or two minutes into scalding 

 water. When properly dried they may be used instead of the European 

 blister fly, or sold to druggists. We hear, however, that " unleachcd ashes or 

 air-slacked lime sown upon vegetables whilst the dew is on them," although 

 generally distasteful to insects, would be of little use with the cantharides. 

 Their larvae live under ground, probably on roots, and are of a slender, de- 

 pressed form, and possess six legs. 



We shall now take up the curculionidae, snout beetles or weevils. The heads 



