496 THE INSECT WOELD. 



make them fat. They are employed also against the ear-ache, the 

 bite of scorpions, &c. 



Another genus of the same family is the Tenebrio (Fig. 542), 

 of a blackish-brown, with the elytra streaked, and of half an 

 inch in length. The larvae, the well-known meal-worms, live in 

 flour ; they are cylindrical, and of a light tawny colour (Fig. 542). 

 The insect which is considered as the type of the tribe of the 

 PimeliaricB is the Pimelia bipunctata, which is common in the south 

 of France. 



We come now to the tribe of blistering beetles, of which the 

 best known is the Cantharides (Cantharis or Lytta). These 

 insects are generally of soft consistency ; and their elytra very 

 flexible. A few remain constantly on trees. All are very brisk 

 and active. When swallowed they are a dangerous poison, but 

 are used in medicine for making blisters. 



The Cantharides of commerce (Cantharis (Lytta) vesicatoria] 

 are of a beautiful green, attain to a size of four-fifths of an inch, 

 and are found on ash trees, lilacs, and other shrubs. Commerce for 

 a long time brought them from Spain, and some still come from 

 that country ; hence the common name of Spanish fly. As they 

 live in great numbers together, collecting them is easier and less 

 expensive than would be that of other species of the same family 

 which are not gregarious, but which have the same medicinal 

 properties. The presence of the Cantharides is manifested by 

 the smell of mice, which they diffuse to some distance. When, 

 by aid of this smell, they are discovered, generally settled on an 

 ash, they are collected in the following manner. Yery early in 

 the morning a cloth of light tissue is stretched out at the foot 

 of the tree, and the branches are shaken, which causes the insects 

 to fall. These, numbed by the cold of the night, do not try to 

 escape. When there is a sufficient quantity, the four corners 

 are drawn up and the whole plunged into a tub of vinegar 

 diluted with water. This immersion causes the death of the 

 insects. They then carry them to a loft, or under a very airv 

 shed. To dry them they spread them out on hurdles covered 

 with linen or paper, and from time to time, to facilitate the opera- 

 tion, they are moved about, either with a stick or with the hand, 

 which is more convenient, but it is then necessary to take the pre- 



