Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
N  ovember,  1898.  / 
CantJiaris  Vesicatoria. 
547 
air  the  cantharidin  is  decomposed  and  the  beetles  become  useless. 
They  are  also  much  injured  by  the  attacks  of  other  smaller  insects, 
particularly  by  a  small  mite,  which  entirely  consumes  the  soft  inside 
portions,  leaving  the  hard  external  shell  intact.  They  may  be  pre. 
served  from  these  attacks  to  some  extent  by  the  addition  of  small 
pieces  of  camphor,  or,  better,  by  exposing  the  beetles  to  the  vapor 
of  pyroligneous  acid. 
The  commonly-called  Chinese  blistering  beetle  {Mylabris  cichorii) 
{Fig.  2)  found  in  some  portions  of  Southern  Europe  and  in  China, 
has  acquired  some  note.  The  body  is  of  an  elongated  oval  or  cyl-. 
indrical  form,  from  to  I  inch  in  length,  and  from  to  -fe  inch 
in  breadth.  Head  of  a  jet-black  color,  somewhat  triangular;  maxil- 
lary palpi  three-jointed;  mandibles  stout  and  large,  almost  concealed 
beneath  the  labrum ;  clypens  rather  large ;  antennae  clavate  eleven- 
jointed  and  articulated  to  the  front  of  the  head,  below  and  between 
the  eyes ;  eyes  large  and  compound ;  the  facets  or  corneae  are  dis- 
cernible with  a  pocket  lense ;  they  are  situated  on  the  side  of  the 
head  and  rather  far  apart ;  oceili  absent ;  prothorax  decidedly  wedge- 
shaped,  of  a  black  color  with  faint  prominences  and  depressions  on 
its  dorsal  surface;  praescutum  very  small;  scutellum  of  an  oval 
shape;  the  femora  of  the  first  and  second  pair  of  legs  are  clothed 
with  yellowish  hairs ;  third  pair  jet  black ;  elytra  black  with  two 
broad-waved  transverse  hands  of  brownish  yellow,  in  some  species 
examined  of  a  golden-yellow  color;  on  the  anterior  portion  of  each 
elytom  there  is  a  circular  spot  of  the  same  color ;  abdomen  rather 
Fig.  2. — Mylabris  Cichorii. 
