﻿[21] 
  The 
  New 
  Caepet-Bug 
  — 
  Antheenus 
  sceophulaei^e. 
  

  

  joinings 
  of 
  the 
  floors 
  and 
  crevices 
  beneath 
  the 
  base-boards. 
  

   This 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  months, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  

   the 
  insect 
  will 
  be 
  occupying 
  these 
  retreats, 
  either 
  in 
  its 
  per- 
  

   fect 
  beetle 
  form, 
  or 
  as 
  eggs 
  deposited 
  for 
  another 
  brood 
  ; 
  

   to 
  either 
  of 
  these 
  the 
  direct 
  application 
  of 
  benzine 
  would 
  be 
  

   fatal. 
  To 
  some 
  of 
  my 
  correspondents 
  I 
  have 
  suggested 
  the 
  

   pouring 
  of 
  kerosene 
  oil 
  in 
  the 
  crevices 
  of 
  the 
  floors, 
  and 
  fill- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  all 
  places 
  of 
  retreat 
  with 
  cotton 
  saturated 
  with 
  the 
  oil. 
  

   I 
  would 
  regard 
  this 
  as 
  less 
  dangerous 
  in 
  its 
  use 
  than 
  benzine, 
  

   and 
  equally 
  efficient. 
  

  

  The 
  recommendation 
  recently 
  made 
  in 
  several 
  of 
  our 
  news- 
  

   papers, 
  of 
  the 
  Persian 
  insect-powder 
  for 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  

   insect, 
  I 
  believe 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  no 
  value. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  deemed 
  it 
  

   worth 
  the 
  trouble 
  of 
  experimenting 
  with 
  it, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  

   told 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  given 
  it 
  a 
  trial 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  no 
  avail 
  whatever. 
  

  

  The 
  insect 
  has 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  become 
  sufficiently 
  abundant 
  in 
  

   New 
  York 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  resorting 
  to 
  plants 
  for 
  its 
  food. 
  The 
  

   variety 
  Anthrenus 
  lepidus, 
  which 
  was 
  introduced 
  in 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia 
  sufficiently 
  long 
  ago 
  to 
  permit 
  its 
  complete 
  naturaliza- 
  

   tion, 
  was 
  discovered 
  there, 
  in 
  numbers, 
  feeding 
  upon 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  Compositse. 
  The 
  Anthrenus 
  varius 
  is 
  often 
  found, 
  in 
  its 
  

   perfect 
  state, 
  taking 
  its 
  food 
  from 
  the 
  blossoms 
  of 
  different 
  

   plants 
  in 
  the 
  garden 
  or 
  field. 
  I 
  have 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  abundantly 
  

   on 
  peonies. 
  It 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  frequent 
  the 
  rocket 
  

   flower, 
  Hesperis 
  malronalis, 
  a 
  fragrant 
  and 
  showy 
  perennial. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  plants 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  attractive 
  to 
  the 
  A. 
  varius 
  can 
  be 
  

   introduced 
  into 
  our 
  houses, 
  and 
  made 
  to 
  flower 
  during 
  the 
  

   months 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  May, 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  carpet-beetles 
  

   would 
  be 
  drawn 
  to 
  them 
  in 
  preference 
  to 
  windows, 
  perhaps 
  as 
  

   soon 
  as 
  they 
  emerge 
  from 
  the 
  pupae. 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  give 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  any 
  precise 
  statement 
  

   of 
  its 
  distribution. 
  It 
  is 
  known 
  in 
  Oregon, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia. 
  It 
  is 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  western 
  States, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  various 
  por- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  State* 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  announced 
  as 
  having 
  appeared 
  in 
  considerable 
  ^orce 
  in 
  

   Syracuse. 
  In 
  Utica 
  it 
  has 
  inflicted 
  serious 
  damage 
  in 
  many 
  

   dwellings. 
  It 
  has 
  occurred 
  at 
  Buffalo, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  such 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  as 
  to 
  have 
  originated 
  the 
  name 
  sometimes 
  applied 
  to 
  it 
  — 
  

   the 
  Buffalo 
  bug 
  — 
  a 
  name 
  given 
  to 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  prob- 
  

   ably, 
  from 
  a 
  fancied 
  resemblance 
  to 
  that 
  animal. 
  Its 
  presence 
  

  

  