TEXAS NATURE OBSBRVATIONIS AND REMINISCENCES. 19 



The Tobacco and Drug Store Beetle 



In beginning to enumerate some 

 of my private reminiscenses in na- 

 ture observations, includiner ob- 

 servations on Texas insect life, in 

 the "Texas Field and National 

 G-uardsman," the peculiar life 

 history of one of the minutest and 

 boldest of injurious insects, the 

 tobacco and the so-called drug- 

 store beetle, may find first place 

 in these sketches ; and the follow- 

 ing is substantially a reprint from 

 the Guide to Nature; a monthly 

 magazine devoted principally to 

 nature study, and edited by Prof. 

 Edward F, Bigelow, Sound Beach, 

 Conn. 



In his editorial columns, Prof. 

 Bigelow introduced the above 

 matter in the following compli- 

 mentary and highly appreciated 

 words : 



"No. letters and contributions 

 come to the Guide to Nature, 

 which show more faithful and ef- 

 ficient interest in nature than 

 ' those from pr. R. Menger pf San 

 Aptbnio, Texas. Unlike some 

 other correspondents, he does T!ot' 

 get 'provoked if we are obliged 

 to return npw and then an account 

 of observations for which wo Ciin- 

 not find room. 



"Then, too, he says and does 

 something ; he does not send mere 

 words about what he would like 

 to do, nor does he send iDdefinite 

 eulogies of all the glories of na- 

 ture and of nothing in particular. 

 He gets down to business. He sees 

 things. He ascertains facts. He 

 does not get discouraged. He is 

 just the kind of faithful worker 

 we commend to other workers. 

 See his article, "Peculiar Meta- 

 morphosis of the Tobacco Beetle," 

 on page 94 of this number. ' ' 



To begin with, about three 

 years ago, the Hon. P. G. Lucas, 

 of San Antonio, -proprietor of the 

 ■'Mission Drug Store," handed 

 me several samples of cigars and 

 other tobacco goods which had 



been perforated and otherwise ac- 

 cidentally mutilated by a min- 

 ute insect, one cigar in particular 

 being of much interest as it con- 

 tained larval vestiges (small 

 curved worms). The latter I gave 

 close attention since I was aware 

 that it was the larval state of the 

 tobacco beetle. The second cigar 

 contained three such larvae lying 

 snugly in furrows they had pre- 



Fig. 1 

 Cigar with Tobacco Larvae Imbeded in 

 Furrows of Tobacco, slightly magnified 



pared by their active jaws. I sub- 

 jected part of this cigar with the 

 larvae to a clos.e focus photo- 

 graphic reproduction with extra 

 near focusing lens. The result 

 is seen in the illustration here- 

 with submitted, (Fig.l) showing 

 the cigar and the imbedded larvae 

 (in the upper specimen) about 



