THE DOCKYARD BEETLE. 
79 
middle of July, on warm days between two and four o’clock in the 
afternoons, with a heavy flight (or soaring) like that of the Dermestes.'''^' 
The state of things amongst the flne old Oaks at Dunham must be 
very similar to that described by Dr. Altum, as Mr. Chappell notes, 
“It is very probable that some of those giant Oaks in.Dunham Park 
have had their existence terminated by it,” for it is obvious that an 
Oak must have attained* a very considerable age before the term 
“ giant ” can be applied to it. 
The presence of this beetle must have been well established, as it 
will be noticed that the observations extend over three years, and the 
damage, by means of larval perforations, extended deep into the 
timber ; for Mr. Chappell remarks that, accompanied by a friend, and 
both armed with tomahawks, they cut holes in the Oak twelve inches 
deep before they succeeded in finding the larv£e. These were “ very 
long and slender, with the first segment after the head dilated, and the 
terminal segment produced into an obtuse lobe” (as figured and de¬ 
scribed by Prof. Westwood). Male beetles also were found at the 
same depth. 
In regard to measures of prevention, there does not seem to be any 
necessity for guarding against the attack as far as concerns live 
timber in this country, as the beetles have been very rarely observed. 
If there should be a desire to prevent attack spreading amongst fine 
old trees past their prime, which there was some especial reason to 
preserve, the only way that appears possible would be to fell and burn 
such as were known to be infested, and thoroughly to tar all parts of 
the standing timber where the wood was exposed without bark, or 
where cracks in the bark could be found down which the female 
beetles could creep to lay their eggs on the wood below. It will be 
noticed that we have no mention of the beetles laying on bark of 
growing trees. 
The great damage is always stated to be what occurs to timber in 
dockyards, and the remedy suggested by Linnaeus of having the timber 
in the royal dockyards in Sweden placed under water during the egg- 
laying season of the Dockyard Beetle, to ensure the wood against the 
eggs being laid on it, is too well known to need repetition. At the 
present day the matter would be more easily met by some of the many 
chemical applications, which are cheap, easy of application, and 
thoroughly deterrent to insect-presence. Probably an application of 
some mixture of paraffin or mineral oil would give an obnoxious scent 
to the timber for quite long enough to keep off the July presence of 
beetles. 
During the attack previously mentioned, when the Lyinexylo^i broke 
out in such enormous quantities in Pembroke Dockyard, it was 
* ‘ Forst. Zoologie,’ von Dr. Bernard Altum. Vol. III., Insecten. 
