52 . American Fern Journal 



between the floors, from which in the middle of the night 

 I might find the procession traveling to my herbarium." 

 Providentially my house had no garret, and there was no 

 old barn near it. And as it was a hired house I couldn't 



■ 



tear up the floors, so I employed my midnight hours in 

 other business. 



I asked, of course, how to get rid of them, and after 

 a year had passed, and I had reported and questioned 

 several times, the Doctor said, "the best I can advise you 

 now is that you follow out the directions given in regard 

 to the household ants in Bulletin." His letter came 

 just after I had mailed (at request), to one of his assist- 

 ants, a bottled and tinned package. It seemed to show 

 in several passages such as those I have quoted, either in 

 ignorance or at least lack of proper respect for the Ptinm 

 and his associates that it was not gratefully received. 



One other quotation said "I am pleased with the fact 

 that my prediction that the beetles would probably 

 attack the 'F dices' after others, has been verified. I 

 never knew he had so predicted and was not "pleased. 

 But the assistant was a gentleman and "in the doctor's 

 absence" he helped me by telling me of fur and Co 



mite" enemies, and suggesting one other poison, which 

 gave us the victory. I dropped the attack on the beetles, 

 and like Napoleon and Grant, and like General "Heter- 

 opus ventriccosus, " (a diminutive mite) who with com- 

 rades so rules at Washington (probably not nesting in 

 neglected corners or associating with ants), that "it is 

 difficult to rear" Ptiuus there, I tried a flank movement. 

 The tinman made me a big tight, tin box. I filled it 

 with herbarium, set an open can of bisulphide of carbon 

 in it and left it shut up on a back piazza for a week. I 

 had tried it for an hour with the beetles before. A few 

 stragglers required a second treatment. But for nine 

 years I have not seen a Ptmus. 



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