BOST RYC HOIDEA  . —This tribe is distinguished from the Malacoderma and allied

groups by the mesothoracic epimera not bounding the coxal cavities of the intermediate legs . The downwardly directed head is covered by the pronotum, and the three terminal antennal segments form a distinct club . To this group belong the Bostrychidae and Ptinidae, well known (especially the latter family) for their ravages in old timber . The larvae are stout and soft-skinned, with short legs in correlation with their burrowing habit . The noises made by some Ptinidae (Anobium) tapping on the walls of their burrows with their mandibles give rise to the death tick " that has for long alarmed the superstitious .