Professor Mik identified my L. cervi as certainly well-developed females. I think he was a good deal pleased to have a mature puparium which I sent him and to dissect out an immature one. He says that he has himself ♀ of L. cervi, with abortive wings, so my work will not be a discovery as I hoped, still I think it will be of interest to illustrate.
May 24, 1897.
Your description of L. minor (lesser earwig) has helped me enormously, and I have translated as much as I think is likely to be needed of the technical part to help Mr. Knight to make a characteristic drawing (fig. [43]).
I should like ♂ or ♀and forceps of both, and I have material for this, but I should very much like a wing. I tried to unfold one or two and wasted my materials. Would your microscopist set one for me do you think? I should much like it; for I fancy (I have not been able to make sure) that there is a longer band of dark colour along the front edge than in our common earwig. But, any way, if I could have the wing set I should very much like to have a good figure of it.
October 5, 1897.
If you can spare time to help me in the present inquiry, I should be much obliged; it is quite a trade business matter. I am consulted by a London firm dealing in flour, as to infestation in their barrels, but as I gather it may be both from the Eastern and the Western world, and also may be infested by insect pests from whatever may be lying on the wharves, I want to be very sure of my identifications.
The presence of Ephestia kuhniella (Flour moth) was quite plain, so this I need not trouble you about. But about the “Weevils.” I think those of which I enclose specimens in the bottle stoppered with cotton wool, are the common Calandra (= Sitophilus granarius). I am quite sure C. oryzæ was present, but I do not think I have enclosed any. Messrs. Henderson write me to-day that they are quite sure their barrels took the infestation from oil-cakes which were swarming with S. granarius. To the best of my belief and search, Calandra only lives on grain, so I fancy that its connection with the oil-cakes must be only as a shelter. I know Calandra will resort to remains of bread and milk or ripe apricots near a granary, but I supposed this was in search of moisture. But, nevertheless, as one weevil is so like another, it would be an important help if you would kindly verify my identification for me.
In the same little bottle are two small not-far-from-globose pubescent beetles, which I thought might be Niptus hololeucus, but when they came clean I saw they had not the beautiful bright yellow pubescence, nor were they so globose. I do not know them; you probably will at a glance, and your kind help would save me long search. Amongst the larvæ I found one answering to that of Cucujus testaceus (as given in Curtis) = Læmophlœus ferrugineus—and in the flour there were numbers of the minute rusty little beetles of which I enclose some in a corked bottle. Will these be Cucujus ferrugineus? I do not think I have any types, and as this is such a decided business inquiry, I feel sure you will allow me to ask you to keep me right about it, at your convenience. The flour or barrels or something must have been (to my thinking) in a very neglected state.
6, 7, Granary weevil; 2, 3, chrysalis, natural size, and magnified; 8, 9, rice weevil, natural size, and magnified; 1, 4, infested grains, also magnified.
FIG. 68.—GRANARY WEEVIL, SITOPHILUS GRANARIUS, AND RICE WEEVIL, SITOPHILUS ORYZÆ.