378 SUPPLEMENT 



places, pierce with little holes all the substances which they 

 gnaw, whether in their perfect state, or under the larva form. 

 Some of them live in old wood, others attack collections of 

 animals, books, substances prepared with flour, &c. 



The genus, or sub-genus Ptinus, is very distinct, and very 

 easy to be recognized. The insects which compose it cannot 

 be confounded either with the capricornes, among which 

 Linnaeus first placed them, nor with anabium, where he 

 finally left them. The number of articulations in the tarsi 

 distinguish them sufficiently from the first, and the form of 

 the corslet, and especially the filiform antennas, from the 

 second. 



The Ptini are very small insects. They are commonly 

 found on walls and in houses, principally in garrets and inha- 

 bited places. It is more rare to meet with them in the 

 country. Similar to many other insects, when they are 

 taken, they draw back the head, apply the antennae and feet 

 against the body, and by the semblance of death, appear to 

 wish to escape the danger by which they are menaced. 



The larvae of the ptini (not described in the text) are hex- 

 apod. The body composed of several rings, not very dis- 

 tinct, in consequence of the wrinkles and rugosities by which 

 it is covered, is soft, cylindrical, and slightly hairy. Its 

 posterior part is curved underneath, which makes it appear 

 raised, as it were, into an arch. The feet are short, and ter- 

 minated by a single crook. The head is hard, scaly, and 

 furnished with two small jaws, tolerably strong. These 

 larvae feed on dry plants, and dried animals, which are not in 

 a state of putrefaction. In consequence of this, they are 

 very destructive to herbals, hay, collections of animals, furs, 

 and other objects of considerable value, which thus require 

 great care in their preservation. Linnaeus, after Cramer, 

 informs us, in his Systema NaturcE, that these mischievous 

 larvae may be destroyed by means of arsenic and alum. 



