47 



by a strong itching of my right ear. A lady cousin of mine, who was a lover and lucky 

 owner of such old jewels, had decided to take care of them herself. I had been naughty 

 enough to write the date in these dust heaps with my fingers. When I impudently 

 ventured to show her about a fortnight later the date I had written still undisturbed, the 

 only acknowledgement of my service came forth with admirable dexterity. 



Use every man after his desert, and who should 'scape whipping ? 



Nevertheless I gave up forever this kind of chronological record. 



Three additions to my communication before the librarians have been published, but 

 they contain only isolated cases, certainly nothing of general importance. Of course the 

 insects mentioned had injured books, and as everybody likes to have his own little pest, 

 the new comers were chronicled with some emphasis. Nevertheless I have followed up 

 the matter carefully during these six years, and would be able to give a nice list of names 

 of more or less queer composition. Six years ago a part of the publication on book pests 

 was not to be found here. But in the meantime I have been able to get some of them, 

 the most important ones through the splendid custom of the public library of ordering 

 books wanted by scientists for their study. 



There is, in fact, no end of obnoxious creatures. " Misery acquaints a man with 

 strange bedfellows." Perhaps the word obnoxious is not exactly in the right place, as 

 probably those bedfellows may consider the intruding stranger decidedly obnoxious, 

 Nevertheless, as such philosophical views would destroy every legitimate museum's 

 business, we are bound to our accustomed impoliteness towards all intruders. 



One morning Mr. R. T. Jackson, assistant in Geology in the Museum, asked my advice 

 and help against a new pest in his department. The stones and petrefacts were left 

 untouched, but all the new labels, written during the past year, were more or less injured, 

 or nearly destroyed. Of course this is a serious danger for a collection, as the specimens 

 lose their value if the locality or the scientific name is lost. A new form of labels had 

 been chosen last year, printed on excellent card paper. The stones are kept in small 

 square open boxes, the label is folded in the middle ; upon the lower half the stone is laid, 

 to keep the label in place ; upon the upturned half the locality and the name are written 

 in order to afford an easy view of the contents of the collection. Now, since last winter 

 this upper half has appeared to be scraped on both sides in such a manner that the 

 writing is injured and in some cases has disappeared. The lower half of the label was 

 similarly injured, so far as not covered by the stone ; the under side of the lower half" 

 proved never to be injured, and was apparently protected by the bottom of the box, to 

 which it was pressed by the weight of the stone. The damage is a considerable one, as 

 the whole collection has again to be provided with new labels. A careful research led to 

 the discovery of an insect belonging to the genus Lepisma, which lived in the boxes and 

 cabinets. The old labels of common writing paper were never attacked, therefore it was 

 to be presumed that the finish of the new labels was the attraction to the insects. Indeed, 

 Professor C. L. Jackson found the new labels finished on both sides with starch, and 

 without doubt the starch covering attracted the Lepisma. I was rather puzzled by this, 

 fact. It has been known for more than a century that the greatest library pest, Anobium, 

 does not like starch. Therefore it was recommended to use in binding books only such 

 paste as was made of pure starch without meal, of course also with the addition of several 

 drugs of the most vicious odour ; and now a new customer proves to prefer starch to other 

 things. It is, by the way, a queer but very common association of ideas that substances 

 with an unpleasant scent to man should also be unpleasant to insects. But the virtuous 

 hater of Rockfort or Limbourg cheese would directly be disabused by discovering with a 

 common hand lens a lively carnival of bugs in those disgusting dainties. 



The Lepisma destructive to the labels is a true American insect, described by Pro- 

 fessor Packard as L. domestica. It belongs to a small group of insects with the euphonious 

 name Thysanoura, and there are half a dozen species known in the United States. The 

 principal one found in Europe is the I*, saccharina, better known as the small blue Silver- 

 fish. This little insect is found in dark places or corners near provisions, running very 

 fast, and being so soft that it is crushed by the lightest touch. In Europe it has always 



