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496 THE INSECT WORLD. 
make them fat. They are employed also against the ear-ache, the 
bite of scorpions, &c. 
Another genus of the same family is the Tenebrio (Fig. 542), 
of a blackish-brown, with the elytra streaked, and of half an 
inch in length. The larve, the well-known meal-worms, live in 
flour ; they are cylindrical, and of a light tawny colour (Fig. 542). 
The insect which is considered as the type of the tribe of the 
Pimeliarié is the Pimelia bipunctata, which is common in the south 
of France. 
We come now to the tribe of blistering beetles, of which the 
best known is the Cantharides (Cantharis or Lytta). These 
insects are generally of soft consistency; and their elytra very.) 
flexible. A few remain constantly on trees. All are very brisk 
and active. When swallowed they are a dangerous poison, but 
are used in medicine for making blisters. 
The Cantharides of commerce (Cantharis (Lytta) vesicatoria) 
are of a beautiful green, attain to a size of four-fifths of an inch, 
and are found on ash trees, lilacs, and other shrubs. Commerce for 
a long time brought them from Spain, and some still come from 
that country; hence the common name of Spanish Jty. As they 
‘live in great numbers together, collecting them is easier and less: 
expensive than would be that of other species of the same family 
which are not gregarious, but which have the same medicinal 
properties. The presence of the Cantharides is manifested by 
the smell of mice, which they diffuse to some distance. When, 
by aid of this smell, they are discovered, generally settled on an 
ash, they are collected in the following manner. Very early in 
the morning a cloth of light tissue is stretched out at the foot 
of the tree, and the branches are shaken, which causes the insects 
to fall. These, numbed by the cold of the night, do not try to 
escape. When there is a sufficient quantity, the four corners . 
are drawn up and the whole plunged into a tub of vinegar 
diluted with water. This immersion causes the death of the 
insects. They then carry them to a loft, or under a very airy 
shed. To dry them they spread them out on hurdles covered 
with linen or paper, and from time to time, to facilitate the opera- 
tion, they are moved about, either with a stick or with the hand, 
which is more convenient, but it is then necessary to take the pre- 
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