The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-29
RIG IS THE DEATH WATCH.
TICKS IN THE VAIL IN sToRr; TICKS
ON ,LoNGsHOREMEN HERE

-
rur shnrp- study II In seuth strcet-nt poesn't
Really Blte, hut r's m nrritsnt Down Hour
u,rL-A Pest OF Drug s~tores-EHns n
cousin that Fats Tobacco Liko = Mayor.
Tn, Bombay bug Of South street deployed be-
fore No. 81 yesterday, executing strategic flank
movements for the deloctation of the occupants
n 80 and 90 on the one hand and 65 and SO on
,bc other. Tho mannuvres were set for 3
o'clock and came of promptly on time. There
,,y he %scoTcrs who refuse to believe that the
hug hosts have a timetable and wig-wag signal
,vs,cm, hut the South street merchants between
wall and Pine streets will demonstrate the con-
,rary for them any day just now. THE Sun re-
norter went down there yesterday at / o'clock
aud barely a bug was visible.
"Uavc they gone so soon T. was asked OF K. J.
Layley at o..
mot II bit OF Il" camo the answer; these
that YOU see are the usual heralds and ~couriers
that come each morning to proclaim the advance
~ tho legionarios which are duo at 3 o'clock.
Come back at 8 o'clock and you'll see the full
column on parade" At 8 o'clock the reporter
went back, and sure enough, the cohorts were
e,.nmins In tho afternoon sunlight. Back and
forth over Il -, sidewalk they filed, and up and
down the walls they To look
through doorways, against the dark interior
background. was to see, as on Thursday, count
less srecks descending like sand grains after a
ulmmer dust storm from the upper window stills,
and goodness knows where, to the door stills and
the hats and backs of passers. Three men. APP
parcntly longshorcmen. had just picked them.
selves up from the steps in front Of Mr.. Griffen's
place at t4, and were appalled, as they looked at
each others clothes, covered with the bugs.
More OF the imported coriander seed, belong
ing TO Stallman & Fulton Of 10 Gold street,
who had stored it, with Mr.. Griffen from which
s sSy; but the Interested neigh6ors say thai there
arc many any, bags m OF it x yet 6a to 3 E.; and Tb they pu s8Ps aod
inc nuisance brought to south street yes.
terday bug exterminetors. bug .eatchers.
munity. After the bug extcrminators came bug
hunters, mostly lean and specialized gentlemen
the early bugs lovingly and told the storekeep-
Ing studies" Mr.. weiss's tobacco store at ,65
was Il popular hunting ground. as his watering
pot was kept so assiduously in motion across
the doorway that the bugs started in columns
and phalanxes up the jambs and window pancs
to get inside at a higher level, and were easily
caught on the march.
The bug was identified late in the afternoon
by William B~eutcnmueller. curator Of the De-
partment OF Entomology at the American Mu-
icum OF Natural History, TO whom several speci-
monty known as the death watch" The spe-
lied American, having come over from Europe,
like most Of our destructive insects, but IT be-
came acelimS Ml a.I readily ,sTmy And i f,0nri ,h.s b here IT.
tscks almost anything in the line OF grain or
drugs, and that he has no doubt It might DO
found in almost any drug store in the city, al
though it would have done no particular harm
in small numbers. 1t is only when 1t has multi
piled to swarms that 1t becomes an annoyance
anu a menace.
IT win eat anything in a drug store, from liz
land is very common. Its rapid increase in
one recalls that one beetle lays 100 Or more eggs.
Of seeds. there would be 10000 eggs to hatch. l
don't know whether the life history of this
f Seellf rs o aneT IT is Es Closely hos: ga aili tas to oa aRot tfss!t beetle e. .
which is here in the city now and which. have
heard from several quarters is the tobacco
IN n'i tS ss ' Museum eur ao now n a. fine i Havana cigar cigar
tackled by it are smokable, and / know a man
who goes around and buys the. fine quality
sale at the original prices IS impossible 6iI."''' 'A'n
The tobacco beetle is OF the same general
s sns Sro as = the s5 SitG Is dsser Rsa' ss Sa Sqs Is sm 1a5eeb
instead of striated wing coverings and a
The description of the coriander seed bug.
given in a book on Economic Entomology" edi-
ted by John b. Smith. says:
sion Of oddities dificult Of general deinition.
save that as a rule the species arc small, with
fstEsc ted h 3a% vino more soS or hess cFFb[i Films fssa i Arr r.
larval as well as adult condition on dry animal
or vegetable matter, though some species attack
green vegetation. Many live in dead branches
or twigs. and only a few are of sufficient interest
to be especially noted. OF these is the death
watch Sit0drepd pdniced, so named from the
ticking sound frequently made by the beetle
when working in wood, which superstition has
Interpreted us a warning OF approaching death.
II works also in a great variety of other sub
stances, ranging from gun wads to roots of helle-
bore and old books. as a feshy, white, grublike
larva, with brown head and surface covered with
short, brown. bristlelike hairs.
Where the nature OF the article admits of
such treatment, exposure to the fumes of
bsulphide of carbon Is a good remedy, as is also
saturating with gasolene or benzine. A liberal
use OF paint with plenty Of turpentine Is indi-
Gated in other cases. and sometimes mere clean
Illness following the destruction of hopelessly
infested material will answer every purpose"
Mr.. Beutenmueller cautions any one who
makes use OF the bisulphide of carbon, which
the Germans call-not without ~reason-stink-
do9, to keep matches, lighted cigars. or lights
OF any kind. away from 1t, as II a spark gets
near 1t there Is likely to DO an explosion. The
fumes from 1t are heavier than air.