324 
hisecis  Injurious  to  Drugs. 
Am.  Jour.  PJiartu. 
July,  1893. 
plate.  The  dermestid  beetle  here  illustrated  in  its  various  stages  of 
growth  is  the  buffalo  bug,  and  in  Fig.  /J.  is  the  "  fish"-shaped  larva 
with  its  hairy  body,  next  the  mummy-like  pupa  {Fig.  j),  with  its 
legs  and  feelers  closely  folded  against  its  body.  This  is  the  second 
stage  in  the  life  of  the  beetle.  After  the  larva  has  become  full 
grown,  it  seeks  a  sheltered  spot,  ceases  feeding,  and  becomes  trans- 
formed into  an  almost  immovable  mummy-like  object,  called  the 
pupa.  It  remains  thus  quiet  and  without  eating  for  a  few  weeks 
(in  most  cases),  and  then  emerges,  the  perfect  beetle  {Fig.  2). 
There  are  other  species  of  beetle  which  attack  the  pharmacist's 
stores  ;  for  example,  Ptinus  brunneus  (we  are  sorry  to  be  compelled 
to  use  these  scientific  names,  but  very  few  insects  have  common 
names),  a  small  brown,  slender  legged  beetle,  which  feigns  death 
When  disturbed,  does  great  havoc  in  the  larval  stage,  in  jars  of 
all-spice,  capsicum  and  cinnamon.  Anobium  paniceum,  one  of 
the  so-called  "  death  ticks "  and  much  like  the  Ptinus,  attacks 
agaric  and  several  other  drugs.  Lasioderma  serricorne,  closely 
related  to  the  Anobium  and  Ptinus  (all  belonging  to  the  family 
Ptinidae),  eats,  as  larva,  capsicum  and  dried  tobacco.  Bostrichus 
dactilliperda,  another  member  of  the  same  family,  attacks  sweet 
almonds.  Two  species  of  Ceuiorhynchus,  small,  snouted  beetles  or 
weevils,  infest  poppy  and  other  seeds.  Another  weevil,  Dalandria 
oryza  {Figs.  16,  17,  18),  imported  from  Europe,  infests  rice  and 
ground  roasted  acorns.  A  near  relative  is  the  notorious  grain 
weevil,  which  does  great  damage  to  stored  cereals. 
Leaving  the  beetles  now,  the  next  group  of  insects  important  to 
the  pharmacist  is  that  of  the  moths  and  butterflies.  While  we 
should  hardly  expect  to  find  moths  and  butterflies  with  their  long 
nectar-sucking  tubes  for  mouths,  injuring  our  stores,  we  do  find  that 
these  same  insects  in  their  young  or  larval  stage,  when  they  are 
familiar  to  all  as  "  caterpillars,"  do  not  a  little  injury  to  our  drugs. 
The  moths,  like  beetles,  go  through  a  strange  metamorphosis,  and 
while  in  the  caterpillar  stage  are  provided  with  strong  jaws  for  eating 
dry  food.  All  know  of  the  clothes-moth,  dread  foe  of  the  house- 
wife, which,  as  a  small  white  caterpillar,  living  in  a  cylindrical  roll 
or  case  made  from  the  woollen  cloth  or  fur  it  is  feeding  on  does 
irreparable  injury  to  the  choicest  fabrics  and  costliest  furs.  This 
moth  belongs  to  the  genus  Tinea,  of  which  one  or  more  species 
attack  drugs.    Figs.  11,  12,  /j,  14.  illustrate  the  life  history  of  the 
