408 
that he brought about a suspension of motion 
of the larvae. He concludes therefrom that 
the larvae of Zristalzs, which inhabit stink- 
ing water, are only slightly sensitive to 
strong-smelling substances.—Tr. from En- 
tomogische nachrichten, 15 Aug. 1882, jahrg. 
9; pai 2e2% 
A NEW MUSEUM PEST.—Mrs. A. E. Bush, 
an esteemed correspondent of San José, Cal., 
complains lately in her letters of the ravages 
of a dermestid in her insect collection, and 
from specimens, larvae and imagos, lately 
sent to us, we find that the species in question 
is the handsome Perimegatoma variegatum 
Horn. We do not find that this species was 
ever known before as a museum pest, and 
there is danger that it may become distrib- 
uted in insect collections all over the country, 
just as have the other species of the same 
family, which are so well-known and dreaded 
by entomologists.—Amer. naturalist, Oct. 
1882, v. 16, p. 826. 
Dr. BERGMANN has lately shown that for- 
mic and acetic acids are met with, as constit- 
uents of protoplasm, throughout the whole 
vegetable kingdom, and can be regarded as 
constant products of metastasis in vegetable 
protoplasm. It is very likely that formic 
acid, at least, will be found in all insects, as 
soon as they have been carefully studied. 
Dr. Bergmann thinks it probable that propio- 
nic, butyric, caproic, or even this whole series 
of acids, are universally distributed in the 
vegetable kingdom. There are however, in 
my opinion, certain arresting processes in 
the retrogressive tissue-metamorphosis that 
cause insects to develop usually for the most 
part formic, sometimes butyric, rarely—as in 
beeswax—cerotic acid. God: 
WE quoTe the following interesting note 
by J. Jenner Weir, from the Extomologist for 
July 1882: ‘‘Danaine butterflies not subject 
to the attack of mites.—In the Proceedings 
of the Entomological society for the year 
1877, p. xii, Mr. Meldola remarks that ‘he had 
observed that certain distasteful species of 
te CREE, 
lepidoptera preserved their disagreeable qual- 
ities after death, in proof of which he exhib- 
ited some butterflies found among an old 
collection of Indian insects, the greater part 
of which had been demolished by mites. 
The surviving specimens were all of protect- 
ed species, viz., four of a Euploea, one of 
Danais plexippus, and one of Papilio pam- 
mon. Euploea and Danas were well known 
to be protected genera, since they serve for 
models of mimetic resemblances. With re- 
gard to Papilio pammon, Mr. Meldola stated 
that, in his belief, it was in some way dis- 
tasteful, as he had seen it in swarms on the 
island of Nancoury, Nicobar islands, in 
April, 1875.” In Mr. Meldola’s valuable 
translation of Dr. Aug. Weismann’s ‘Studies 
on the theory of descent,’ p. 337, the transla- 
tor, in a footnote, makes a similar statement. 
I lately became possessed of four cases of 
Indian lepidoptera, which had been almost 
entirely destroyed by mites, but the danaine 
butterflies were uninjured: there was one 
species of Luploea and four of Danazs, in- 
cluding D. chrysippfus, D. limniace, and 
D. plexippus; the specimens of Papilio pam- 
mon were also in fair condition.” 
LEPIDOPTERA AND COLEOPTERA. 
Inflated larvae and well prepared lepiduptera and 
colecptera of Europe, especially those of Germany, 
soldat catalog-prices. Address 
Dr. OSKAR KRANCHER, 
Bayrische Strasse, 12, II, r, 
Leipzig, Germany. 
WANTED. 
Annual Reports entom. soc. of Ontario for 
1870 and 1878. 
Lintner. Entomological contributions (any 
part). - 
Riley. Reports state entom. Missouri (any year). 
Address, stating price postpaid, 
EDITOR OF P3YCHE, 
Cambridge, Mass. 
No. 100 was issued 15 Jan. 1883. 
