The YOtmC HAT6BAMST: 



A Monthly Magazine of Natural History. 



Part 90. 



JUNE, 1887, 



Yol. 8. 



LEPISMA SACCHARINA. 



Linn. 



By G. C. BIGNELL, F.E.S. 

 Fish-moth. Silver-fish. Silver-tail, &c. 



A FEW words of warning 

 may not be out of 

 place relative to this destruc- 

 tive little creature. In the 

 December number of The 

 Canadian Entomologist, Dr. 

 Hagen has a long chatty 

 paper ; in it he has brought 

 together many records of its 

 destructive habits. The ear- 

 liest notice mentioned by 

 him is R. Hooke's " Micro- 

 graphia," London, 1665, 

 printed at the expense of the 

 Royal Society, in which it 

 is called a book-worm, from 

 its habit of eating holes 

 through leaves and covers 



of books. Numerous records 

 of its destroying silk gar- 

 ments, tapestry, and muslin 

 curtains, in addition to books 

 and their bindings, plainly 

 show how necessary it is to 

 be on the watch for this de- 

 structive little creature. I 

 can speak from sad experi- 

 ence of its destructive habits 

 among the books in my office 

 (which fortunately, is away 

 from my house), for when- 

 ever the books are allowed 

 to rest undisturbed for some 

 months there these little 

 creatures will be found, and 

 on removing the books traces 



There is no doubt but that L. 



Magnified 8 times. 



of their destruction will be very quickly seen. 

 saccharina will destroy anything that has been starched, particularly so 

 when these things are permitted to accumulate in some damp cupboard 

 or box ; labels in museums, mounted photographs and engravings, paper 



