10 



CALOSOMA SYCOPHANTA. 



ments, and, as the tin did not absorb the moisture, the beetles became 



covered with the decomposed remains and death resulted. 



The other method of using a tin package was to place several beetles 



with larvse for food and a small quantity of sphagnum moss in each 



box. The results, however, were not satisfactory. 



In the spring of 

 1909 several lots of 

 the native beetle Ca- 

 losoma scrutatorwere 

 shipped to the labo- 

 ratory from Wash- 

 ington, D. C. They 

 were packed sepa- 

 rately in small tin 

 boxes with a little 

 wet sphagnum moss 

 and arrived in good 

 condition. No food 

 was put into the 

 boxes, and the bee- 

 the time they were 



Fig. 2.— One of the tin boxes used for making the first shipments of 

 Calosoma beetles. (Original.) 



received in less than 48 hours from 



ties were 

 collected. 



In 19.06 the European material was shipped in wooden boxes instead 

 of tin. These boxes (fig. 3) were made of Jrinch stock, the usual size 

 being 1\ by 4 by 2\ inches. Inside of these were packed match boxes, 

 such as are used for 

 safety matches, each 

 of which contained a 

 small quantity of 

 sphagnum moss and 

 a single beetle. (See 

 fig. 4.) Occasionally 

 two beetles were 

 placed in a match 

 box, but better re- 

 sults were secured 

 when only one was 

 inclosed. By using 

 this method of pack- 

 ing and placing wet 

 moss in the boxes the mortality during shipment for the year 1906 

 was 15 per cent in the case of Calosoma sijcophanta and 38 per cent 

 in that of Calosoma inquisitor. In 1907 no specimens of C inquisitor 

 were received, and 54. per cent of C. sycoplianta died in transit. 

 This was principally due to the moss being very dry in the boxes 



Fig. 



. — One of the wooden boxes used for shipping Calosoma beetles 

 from Europe. (Original.) 



