Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-13

Birds. Beasts, Costumes, Etc, Ut the smith
sonian Attacked.

Birds, Beasts, Costumes, Etc, Ut ths smith
sonian Attacked.
pUGS ARE ASOURCE OF MUCH ANXIETY
- and annoyance to the euraters OF birds and
mammals at the Smithsonian Institution and in
the National Museum. II given chance they
would gobble up the dead and stuffed crea-
lures, not even sparing the bones and the
beaks. Accordingly those In charge have to be
perpetually on the alert to combat these small
but not contemplate foes.
II o stuffed specimen" IL thoroughly pois-
ored with arsenic when il 10 prepared there is
little or no danger that 1t will ever be attacked
but the collectOnsin charge of Secretary Lang
ley are gathered together from all parts of the
world and very many of the contributions are
not properly protected in this respect. This
Is true particularly Of those which come from
are considered sufficient for purposes of pres
ervation. SO they are for while. and then
the spices having lOst their strength, the enemy
begins TO get in its work. Not only does this
happen with stuffed birds aud beasts. hut the
skeletons that reach the institution with the
flesh roughly chopped OF them aud folded up
in the smallest possible compass for transport
tation are frequently so poorly protected by
poisoning that mas9ots get at them and eat
tbs hgaments which join the bones 70 a. 10
strlOusly luJuTe tnS2f 0seftNRetA
THREE KINDS OF INSECTS.
Three kinds Of insects threaten the stuffed
collections. One is the familiar moth, which
eats the feathers OF hair down TO the skin and
leaves unsightly bald patches. Another is the
'dermestes," or common lard beetle" which
attacks and eats holes in the fatty skins But
WORSE than either Of these il the .santhrinus''-a
beetle about the size of No. shot. and so
small therefore that 1t does not render itself
evident and is not readily found when sough.
for. l: ID very fond Of anything horny. aud.
getting chance at bird. il will begin BY eat
ing OFF the covering of the bill. denuding the
legs afterward and chewing up the shafts of
the bigger feathers. II it has an emporium
ity, it will regularly honeycomb the horns Of
animals frescoed for museum purposes. Of
course it il understood that these three bugs
do all the damage in the iarva stass Of their
beiIg-tEat is, while they are yet worms
Another sort of insec. gets into empty eggs
and eats up the lining membranes where care
less collectors have left them inside. as they
should not do. but it cannot injure the shells
and does no harm, except TO make litter
The best remedy, or preventive, known Is BIZ
sulphide Of carbon: but It has 80 horrible &
smell that Curator Ridgway will not use it for
Keeping the birds under his charge. He pre-
ters to employ the next best thing, which is
naphthoiine, product Of coal tar. a handful
OF crystals OF IT will kill case full Of insects. II
has the disadvantage Of irritating the breath
ing passages, producing chronic catarrh.
Curator Of Mammals True prefers the offsns-
i've bisuiphide OF carbon. He says he is going
TO adopt 1t Immediately. because the frst
thing necessary IL to preserve his specimens
great many things beside beasts and birds
| at the National Museum have to be protected
from insects-for example. the costumes Of all
nations and other dry goods of every kind,
which AFFORD an agreeable diet for devouring
bugs II Is no small task to protect these per-
ishable articles from the attacks Of many
legged sesvengers with stomAchs for anything
short Of metal and no respect for the most sa-
cred Of cpriOs. =