44 
Psyche 
[March 
THE DESTRUCTIVE MEXICAN BOOK BEETLE COMES 
TO BOSTON 1 
By Raymond L. Taylor. 
Since so many of the most destructive insect pests of the 
United States are of foreign origin, and also, since so many of 
these undesirable immigrants have made inconspicuous entrances 
into the country on nursery stock, food stuffs, and other mer- 
chandise, any record of an exotic, which is destructive, and 
which has entered the country, should be of wide interest. Un- 
detected, the Mexican book beetle definitely invaded the Port 
of Boston recently. 
On Dec. 12, 1927, attention was called to the condition of a 
large shipment of books which had been received by N. J. Bartlett 
and Co., a Boston firm of book sellers. Help in the matter was 
asked and the damaged stock was inspected. The shipment com- 
prised 29 sizable packing cases and represented the entire library, 
of fully 8000 volumes, of the late William T. Brigham, Director 
of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii. Dr. 
Brigham was a noted bibliophile and his collection, which em- 
braced much on ethnology and natural history and contained 
many rare editions, was conservatively valued at over $25,000. 
At the death of Dr. Brigham, the books, presumably in perfect 
condition at that time, were packed in substantial wooden cases 
and stored in a warehouse in Honolulu for several years. Re- 
cently, they were purchased by the book concern mentioned 
and delivered in Boston in early December, 1927. When the 
books were unpacked, although the newspaper wrappings showed 
no evidences of injury, there was scarcely one of the collection 
not riddled by larval galleries and exit holes. Some of the books 
had only one or two borings, while others were so completely 
riddled that some pages were virtually consumed in their 
entirety and the remainder illegible. The majority, however, 
suffered severe injury to the bindings but were legible in spite 
Contributions from the Entomological Laboratory of the Bussey Insti- 
tution, Harvard University. No. 290. 
