ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



323 



books oviT tlioroiigiily with ii strong solution of 

 ,corrosivu snbliiaato. 



Slionlil these insects become more numerous, 

 I shall prefer a clotli-boimd book l)ecause of less 

 liability of such books to be al lacked by the in- 

 sects. The bookbinder miylit easily remedy the 

 dilRculty by adding a little corrosive sublimate 

 to the paste he nscs; but to him there is an ob- 

 jection on the score of health. 



This is an imported insect, and therefore is all 

 the more to be feared accoriling to the teachings 

 of Mr. Walsh, who endeavored to prove that all 

 iniporled insects arc worse than the indigenous 

 ones. The causes of this may be various, but 

 the grand reason is siipimsed to be that the 

 natural enemies in their native country do not 

 accompany them in their migrations. Some en- 

 tomologists, however, say that this species docs 

 but little harm. 



Another Boring beetle of the Ptinns family 

 '{Sitodrepa panicea, Thomas— vlwoitfo/t pani- 

 ceum, Fabr.), feeds on capsirum and other spices, 

 wafers, farninaccous meals, etc., and are niuncr- 

 ous about drug stores, as 1 have seen in this 

 town. The same insect was found in a hand- 

 some red l)ead made of some kind of colored 

 paste, much to the annoyance of the young lady 

 who was wearing it: for, strange as it may ap- 

 pear, nothing much more annoys a young lady 

 than a harmless worm. I have had these beads 

 in a (;lose box, and there has been developed a 

 new brood every year since I placed them in this 

 conlineuient. The eggs are white, ovate, and 

 probably each female only produces a few. By 

 crushing a pregnant female 1 obtained six eggs. 



The larva of these bead beetles is somewhat 

 hairy, yellowish-whil<!, f!-legged, and coiled up 

 by retracting the abdomen under the thorax. It 

 is considerably corrugated, especially along the 

 sides. The head is smooth, horny, and while, 

 and the nuindibles and parts about the mouth 

 are black. It lives in the bead, and feeds so 

 carefully that one would not suspect its presence 

 W(u-e it not that the perfect insect eats a hole 

 Ibrough the same to make ils escape. ISomc- 

 times, but rarely, two were fonn<l in a bead. 



AVhen ground capsicum coulains these insects 

 it will be found cenumled into somewhat irregu- 

 lar hollow balls, attached aronnd (he sides of the 

 vessel in which it is contained. It is strange 

 that tlu;y will live and thrive equally as well in 

 such a |)ungent substance as thi^v do in barley 

 meal, if, indeed, they be one and (he same insect, 

 and 1 am not able lodctcci any maiUcd ditlerence 

 between the capsicum, barley meal, and bead- 

 inhabiting insects. 



Tbc larva of the Brown I'tinus, or Book-bcc- 



tlc, is similar in appearance to that of this Sjiice- 

 be(!tle {Sitodrepu) , but close examination shows 

 it to bo nuu-h more hairy. I have taken them 

 from the books and placed them in small corked 

 vials, and ob'served that (hey soon buried them- 

 selves in the coi'k, where they lived and fed for 

 as nuu'li as two or three months. The Brown 

 Ptinus matures in April and May, and at this 

 time I have so often taken them in a basin or 

 pail of water, during t he i)ast four years, that 1 

 conclude that it would be a good i)lan to set jians 

 of water in the library for the purpose of entrap- 

 ping the perfect insects. 



These two insects, though belonging (o (he same 

 family, are ijnite dill'erent in appearance. Com- 

 pared with (he Book-beetle {Plinus), (he Si>ii'e- 

 beetlc {SUoilrepa) is of a lighter brown, and is 

 more nearly cylindrical. The antennae are much 

 smaller and mostly retracted after death. The 

 Book-beetle is of a darker brown, usually con- 

 siderably humi)-backed, willi the thorax consid- 

 erably narrowed just in front of the wing-covers. 

 It is more densely covered with hairs, and with 

 a lens the hairs arc seen nuich more conspicu- 

 ously — stiff and bristle-like. I thus sjieak of 

 (heir diUercnces in contrast because some liave 

 considered them the same. 



These insects produce a peculiar sound, which 

 is supposed to be caused by striking (heir jaws 

 against some foreign object, and which is, per- 

 lia|)S, made to attract their pavdiers. This sound 

 somewhat resembles (he ticking of a watch, and 

 ignorant and superstitious people believe it to 

 be ominous of death — "the deulli watch." 



When apples are stored near the library, the 

 Codling Moth, upon leaving the apple and seek- i/ 

 ing a place (o transform, may locate itself in a 

 book, as I have upon several occasions observed. 

 When it enters the l)ook between the back and 

 leaves, it gnaAvs and mulilatcs them very much 

 (o make a desirable iilacc in which to spin its ' 

 cocoon. On one occasion I observed that the 

 larva, after cutting through three or four leaves 

 and si)iiming a good deal of silk, left for more 

 desirables i|uartcrs. In (his way many other 

 caterpillars may injure books, when by accident 

 they gain access to them. 



Wc read of various book enemies that Lave 

 attracted altention from time to time. A cater- / 



pillar (AJl(/losna pin(/ahiriliK) , said sometimes to ^ 

 subsist on butter and lard, does no little damage 

 to books by tixing itself and si)inning a web on 

 the binding. Still another, according to Kirby 

 and Spence, does much damage by taking its 

 s(a(ion between the leaves. 



A mite (t'elelus eriiilitus) cats the paste of 

 the binding, and thus is a troublesome enemy. 



