265 
Male. — Very small, flattened, oval, testaceous yellow, with loii^' sparse yellowish 
pubescence. Head alutaceous, impuuctate except over mouth, eyes oblong oval, 
black, entire. Thorax broader than long, widest just before base, narrowed to apex, 
sides from widest part and apex uniformly rounded, basal angles broadly rounded, base 
Insinuate, disc but slightly convex, flattened in middle, anteriorly with faint traces 
of asperation, posteriorly with very fine scattered punctuation covered with seal 
tered pubescence. Elytra narrower at base than thorax, and half as long again, 
slightly dilated behind middle, numeral angles obsolete, rounded, sides elliptically 
rounded to apex; disk declivous from middle to apex. The angle of the declivity 
rounded, with strong scattered punctuation, the interstices slightly rugose, striae 
entirely obsolete, sutural margin raised posteriorly, legs long, anterior tibia*, slightly 
dilated at apex with two almost obsolete spines on outer margin. Length 1 mm. 
As compared with X. eurtulus this species is larger, especially- 
broader, and more brightly colored ; the hairs at the base of the thorax 
are shorter and less conspicuous, the elytra are shorter in proportion 
to the thorax, more finely punctured, and the interstices are not pubes- 
cent before the middle, whereas in X. eurtulus they are pubescent for 
their whole length. 
The peculiar circumstances under which this insect has depredated 
render it easy to get rid of by the timely sacrifice of the attacked parts 
of the orchids. This has had to be freely carried out by the sender of 
the specimens. 
The few examples I have here recorded of Scolytid injury to the soft 
parts of plants agree in the damage being confined to the stem or the 
fibrovascular parts. Damage to the parenchyma of leaves, except by 
the burrows made by H. eruditus to reach the ribs, is as yet unknown. 
EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Syrian Book-worms. 
I send with this a live book-worm, which I found last week in an old manuscript 
which I recently brought from Syria. A careful search through the numerous Arabic 
and Syrian manuscripts in my possession might perhaps reveal others, though I have 
tried to get rid of them, and once in Sidon found three specimens in a single book. 
I also inclose a clipping from the New York Sun of the 31st ultimo. Trusting to 
my memory I would say that the figure "Mr. R. Hooke's Bookworm" represents an 
insect very common in Syria, and there called smer-keh. The houses, especially in 
closets, behind pictures hanging on the walls, etc., swarm with them. They are 
troublesome in libraries, but generally, if not always, begin their attacks from the 
outside. They eat the covers of the paper-bound books and the outer leaves of 
unbound books and loose papers. They may eat through a few leaves, but never 
burrow through a great number in the style of the worm which I inclose. I have 
also seen cloth-bound books which they were accused of having defaced — with how 
much truth I can not say from my own experience — and which, while none of the 
cloth was eaten, looked as though the creatures had a great fondness for the color- 
ing matter or the sizing of the binding. I found that my library was perfectly pro- 
tected against the smer-keh by first freeing the books and cases of all specimens 
and then standing the cases a short distance, say half an inch, from the wall. The 
insects get into the bookcases and wardrobes from the walls and not from the floors. 
* * *— [AVilliam S. Watson, New Jersey, August 30, 1892. 
