No. 3. ] Miscellaneous Notes from the Entomological Section. ] 15 



In April 1893 information was called for upon the subject of the 

 The preservation of books destruction of books by insects in Calcutta, 



from insects in India. ar ,d a s the matter is one of general interest 



it may be useful to notice what was ascertained. The most troublesome 

 insect in Calcutta libraries appears to be a minute Ptinid beetle, which 

 agrees with the description of the species Sitodrepa panicea, Linn. This 

 cosmopolitan book-maggot drills pin holes through and through the 

 cover and body of a book, and often completely disintegrates it. The 

 only other insects which have been noticed as causing any considerable 

 damage are white ants ( Termes sp.) and cockroaches (Peri.planeta am- 

 ericana, Deg.). They first devour the books wholesale, but are easily pre- 

 vented from gaining access to them by placing the shelves upon the stone 

 insulators commonly in use, while the second merely deface the bindings, 

 so are of less importance. 



The treatment recommended for use in the library of the Revenue 

 and Agricultural Department was that of disinfecting the books by 

 pouring a few teaspoonfuls of refined mineral naphtha, or what is known 

 as benzine collas, into the crevices of the binding, and then shutting up 

 the volume for a few days in a close-fitting box to prevent the escape of 

 the fumes. Books so dealt with to be afterwards sponged over lightly 

 with a very little of the finest kerosi-ne oil, which should be rubbed off 

 with a cloth before it has time to penetrate into the binding. This ren- 

 ders the books to a great extent distasteful to insects without causing 

 serious injury. It is objectionable on account of the odour of the kero- 

 sine oil, but has the recommendation of harmlessness combined with con- 

 siderable efficiency. 



Particulars have since been obtained, through the kindness of the 

 Superintendent of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sibpore, of a system 

 which has been adopted for preserving books in that institution. The 

 treatment has been in use for a number of years, apparently without 

 accident, and Dr. George King reports very favourably upon its effects. 

 It consists in brushing the books over with a saturated solution of eorro* 

 sive sublimate made by constantly keeping a few lumps of the poison at 

 the bottom of the jar of alcohol (presumably the ordinary methylated 

 article which has a strength of about seventy or eighty per cent.), so that 

 the maximum amount may be absorbed. Great care should of course be 

 taken in handling the corrosive sublimate on account of its exceedingly 

 poisonous nature. 



It may be useful to add that in the Indian Museum Library, where 

 the books are kept in close-fitting glass-cases with a few ounces of 

 naphthaline upon each shelf, little or no damage is caused by insects. 

 From a note furnished by Mr. R. Chapman, late Librarian, it appears 

 that the paste used in binding the Indian Museum books is poisoned by 



