204 MAINE STATE COLLEGE. 



h head and mouth part of the larva, i the antenna of the beetle. 

 j tip of the wing case. The beetle may he known by its dull 

 brown color. It is a little over a half inch long. The eggs are 

 laid in the axils of leaf buds. The young larvae bore into the 

 twi^s enlarging the channels as they grow and when mature enter 

 the chrysalis state in the stem and in : time merge as beetles. 



The Brown Ptixus. 

 Plinus br>j.nneus, Durfs. 

 Ord. Coleoptera : Fam. Ptinidre. 

 The above named family embraces a number of minute species 

 of beetles that do much injury, some boring into frnit uers 



into furniture, while others love 

 animal food and injure hams, mu- 

 seum specimens, leatl rand 

 books and clothing. 



The genus Ptinus may be known 

 having the head and thorax 

 ' much narrower than the wings 

 (elytra) ; the antenna? about as 

 h >ng as the body, filiform not en- 

 larged or branched. The species 

 P. brunnetis, Durfs., is only one- 

 eighth of an inch long, dark brown and convex above, thorax 

 narrower behind , densely covered whh minute hairs. It is inter- 

 esting in connection with the correspondence given below. The 

 insect enlarged is shown in Fig. 11, the real size being indicated 

 by the hair line at the right. 



Calais. Maine, Jan. 8th, 1891. 

 To Professor Balextixe. Orono : 



Dear Sir : — To your address I send by to-day's mail a tin box 

 of red pepper. It has been in our possession since March, 1888. 

 The - phich I did not notice particularly, and unfortunately 



destroyed when 1 opened the box, was not removed until recently. 

 The pepper is. as you see, infested with bugs. The ■ e i .• - r. 

 subject to all the extremes of our climate, and if the bug would 

 feed upon our vegetation might become a troublesome pest. I 

 hope that I have not foolishly intruded upon your time. 

 Respectfully, 



Mrs. Esther Gardner, 



Calais. Maine. 



