9 



Genus III. DERMESTES. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Antenna clavated, the club perfoliated, the three 

 last articulations thicker or larger than the 

 others, and forming an oblong mass some- 

 what compressed. Thorax convex and very 

 slightly margined. Head bent in and nearly 

 concealed under the thorax. 



General Observations, 



The Dermestes (the bane of collectors) is well 

 known for the havoc it occasions in subjects of 

 natural history susceptible of decay. It is not 

 the perfect insect, but the larva that does the 

 mischief; for after having passed through the 

 usual stages of transformation, it is no longer 

 to be dreaded, except as an agent for the pro- 

 vision of future depredators. The voracity of 

 the larvae is such that they will entirely destroy 

 quadrupeds, birds, and insects prepared in ca- 

 binets for preservation. Among furs they are 

 equally destructive, not only occasioning the 

 hair to fall oft^ but consuming the very skip. In 



