44 OUR HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



its penultimate stage by another moult, but without 

 forming any cocoon. It is now shorter and broader 

 (Fig 17, c), no longer a roving pirate, but a restful 

 helpless mummy, giving prophetic indications of its 

 future destiny in its altered form a beetle to all in- 

 tents and purposes, but a caged and helpless one. After 

 a few weeks the needful changes in its internal economy 

 have been accomplished; it throws off its last skin, 

 and appears a fully developed winged beetle, at first 

 soft and red, but destined soon to acquire its natural 

 firmness vand pitchy colour. Previous to every moult, 

 the meal worm acquires a bloated appearance, and 

 becomes inactive for a time, lying on its side in a 

 curved position, and resenting all interference with 

 petulant twitchings of its form. 



These meal worms will attack bread, cakes, &c., as 

 well as uncooked cereals, and they have also been 

 accused of devouring corks. 



When we remember how many different species of 

 "corn-loving" beetles occur in our corn-stores, and 

 how excessively abundant some of them are, we are 

 forced to the conclusion that many must often be ground 

 up with the flour, and that we, therefore, sometimes get 

 our bread adulterated with pulverised beetles, and un- 

 consciously become " insectarians " for the nonce. But 

 "what the eye doth not see, the heart does not grieve 

 over," and possibly we may not really be any the worse 

 for this slight admixture of animal matter with our 

 farinaceous diet, though there are not wanting those 

 who have thought otherwise. Many of these " corn- 

 lovers" are Heteromera, as we have seen, and to this 

 section belongs also the blister-beetle, renowned in 

 medicine, and no very distant connection of our Tene- 

 brios. Moreover, a Brazilian species of Tenebrio is 



