266 



LETTERS TO MR. JANSON [CHAP. xxn. 



I did think Brighton might suit me better, but I found 

 there was no suitable house, so I am staying here. I 

 am very glad that you had a pleasant rest, and a bene- 

 ficial one. 



October 21, 1899. 



Messrs. Forshaw and Hawkins, of Liverpool, have written 

 me regarding beetle and maggot presence in flour and meal 

 in two compartments of " Telesford," from New Orleans to 

 Glasgow. They send me " a deal of " z report and two tubes 

 with beetles, larvae and flour. I believe these beetles 

 (and larvae) to be Tribolium ferrugineitm (Rust-red flour 

 beetle), and I enclose four beetles and six maggots. Will 

 you be so very good as to let me know if I am right, and I 

 enclose a telegraph form filled in, which would put me at 

 ease for the present if you would be good enough to send it 

 tome. The reason I am troubling you now is that the small 



I, Beetle ; 2, larva; 3, pupa magnified, and with lines showing natural 

 length ; 4, head with antennae, much magnified. 



FIG. 70. RUST-RED FLOUR BEETLE, TRIBOLIUM FERRUGIXEUM, FAB. 



amount of flour in the little tubes has the characteristic 

 (mentioned in Mr. Chittenden's paper in " Household 

 Insects," &c., in a Bulletin of U.S.A.) of being greyish. See 

 top of p. 113 as to "Flour Beetles." 



This is quite different from the state of Messrs. Smyth and 

 Co.'s flour, and if you are so good as to confirm my identifi- 

 cation I might perhaps be allowed to use the information on 

 our side on Tuesday, when Mr. Biyth comes down about 

 depositions. The Glasgow case has every appearance of 

 being on the road to a lawsuit, but now (after Friday's 

 experience) I should not be so afraid of giving evidence, 

 if you would make me sure. 



1 A favourite West Country expression of Miss Ormerod. 



