63 



ciation will have a successful future and that it will accomplish the 

 results anticipated can hardly be doubted. The greatest enthusiasm 

 was exhibited at the meeting, and every letter received carried with it 

 the expression of warm approval. 



DERMESTES VULPINUS IN GOAT SKINS. 



By Fkank M. Jones, Wilmington, Del. 



Yia. T.—Dermestes vulpinus: a, egg; 6, c, larva, lateral and dorsal view; h, pupa, ventral view; 

 k, beetle— enlarged ; d, dorsal view of one of the middle joints of larva denuded to show spines and 

 tubercles; i, ventral view of tip of abdomen in <f beetle; e, head of larva;/, left maxilla of same, with 

 palpus; g, labium of same, with palpi— enlarged. (After Kiley.) ' 



Mr. James Fletcher, in his address before the Entomological Society 

 of Ontario, in October last, divided injurious insects into three classes — 

 first, second, and third class pests — " according to the amount of injury 

 they are answerable for"; and the insect under consideration, the 

 leather beetle, Dermestes vulpinus, belongs to the second of these classes ; 

 for, while it is always to be found, throughout the summer months, in 

 the baled goat-skins stored in the ware-rooms of the importers and 

 morocco manufacturers in various parts of the country, it is ouly occa- 

 sionally that it occurs in sufficient numbers to do any great amount of 

 injury. The larvae are usually most abundant upon the hair side of the 

 skins, but an examination of skins which have been damaged by them 

 proves that they often commence their attack on the flesh side. When 

 they occur in large numbers, and when no attempt is made to check 

 their ravages, the skins are quickly eaten into holes, rendering them 

 almost worthless. The pupa is not inclosed in any cocoon, but lies 

 loosely in the hair or in a fold in the skin ; and it is a common sight to 

 see larvae of various ages, pupae, and the perfect insects inhabiting the 

 sathe skin. 



Skins which are naturally of a greasy nature, such as the Kassan 

 (from Eussia) and the Angora skins, appear to be most liable to attack; 

 and heavily salted skins, such as the Mochas (Arabian), are compara- 



