Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-11-12

At the recent meeting of the British
Scientific Association, Professor Westwood
read paper interesting to all possessing a
library lie described the life history of
the various insects which attack books, and
suggested some remedies. The caterpillars
of the moth Aglossa pingIIinalis, andalso of
a species or Depressaris, often injure books
by spinning their webs between the vol
umes. and gnawing small portions of the
paper with which to form their cocOOns. y
small mite, Cheyletus cruditus, is also found
occasionally in books kept in damp situa-
tions, where it gnaws the paper. \ very
minute beetle, llypothenemus eruditus
(Westwood), forms its tiny burrows with
in the binding of books. The small in
sects Uepisma saccharina1 found in closets
and cupboards where provisions are kept,
also feed on paper. A curious example of
its work waf exhibited in a framed and
glazed print, of which the plain portion was
eaten, whilst the parts covered by the
printing ink were untouched. The author
has been assured that the same fact has been
observed in India, where some of the Gov
ernment records had been injured in the
S.llllt lit lisibit VI HtSails'
had not been previously recorded. The
white ants (Termitide), are a constant
source Of annoyance in hot and warm eli
mates, eating all kinds Of objects Of veget-
able origin, of which several instances were
recorded by DIR. Hagen, including the de-
struction of stock of bibles and prayer
books. Cockroacles tBlatta orientalisl are
also equally destructive to books when they
fall in their way. But it is the Death
watches (Anobium pertinaX and striatum),
which do the greatest injury, gnawing and
burrowing not only in and through the
bindings, but also entirely through the vol
umc, and instances have been recorded
where not fewer than twenty-scvcn folio
volumes, placed together on bookshelf,
have been SO cleanly drilled through by the
Larvae of this beetle that string might be
run through the hole made by them, and
the volumes raised by the string. The rem
edies against the attacks of the Anoblum
upon objects of carved wood must neceS-
sarilv be of a different character from those
used against the book worns, which are
the Larvae of the Anobia. In the former
case, saturation with chloride of mercury
ulS>oiNtu III IlCilll iittu ophtt9 VI Ni''' ~
other analogous fluid has been found to be
efficient But with respect To books, it was
necessary to have recourse To vapOriZation,
and experiments were recorded in which
objects attacked by the Anobia had been
placed in a large glass case, made As air
tight rs possible, and small saucers with
pieces of sponge saturated with carbolic
acid were placed at the bottom Of the case,
and on the recommendation Of the author 10
had been found successful to place the in
fecied volumes in the Bodleian Library in a
closed box. with quality Of hcnzine in a
saucer at the bottom. 4 strong infusion of
colocynth and qllasSa, ChlOroform, spirits of
turpentinc, expressed juice of green walnuiS
and pyroligneous acid has also been cn-
plOyed successfully. Fumisation on large
scale may also be adopted 10y having a room
made as air-tight as possible, burning hrim-
stone in il, or filling the room with fumes
of prussc acid or benzine. DIR. Hagen sug-
gesis that, by placing an infected volume
under the bell glass of an air-pulup and cx-
tracing the air, the larv;e would be killed
during an hours exhaustion.