HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



251 



ing and waiting to follow me in various ways. Thus 

 far we had an excellent understanding, but I must 

 take no improper liberties, or if they were not 

 very extravagant or unreasonable it soon forgave me. 

 This charming little fellow could tick as fast as one 

 could count numbers, and one of its best perform- 

 ances consisted of 160 beats in a minute, with a clear 

 distinct metallic sound, resembling a small Geneva 

 watch. At one time, I prevailed upon it to tick 470 

 times without intermission, and then I think it was 

 tired out ; the ticks became faint ; it was distressed. 

 I determined at once to try again and secure it, 

 and form a personal acquaintance. Taking down the 

 picture as before, I carefully searched every part of 

 the frame, and observing the frame was riddled a 

 good deal with holes, I cut off a length extending 

 each way beyond the point of its tapping, splitting 

 it up with no better success. I was disappointed with 

 my efforts ; I thought I had perhaps killed it 

 and destroyed every chance of any further pleasure 

 with its acquaintance. And so it seemed — till the 

 iothof June 1S80, the weather being extremely warm, 

 quiet and dry. On that date about eight o'clock, 

 I again made acquaintance with one of my old 

 friends, and as this date was earlier than I had pre- 

 viously heard them, I looked forward to longer and 

 more familiar acquaintance, concluding at the same 

 time that the summers of '78 and '79 being so cold, wet, 

 and uncomfortable it tended very much to curtail their 

 active movements. The ticking was again heard 

 a short distance from the head of my bed, at intervals 

 during the whole night ; and a second insect behind 

 some framework near the door covered with paper, 

 and within two inches of the shutting edge (although 

 the door was frequently opened and shut for three 

 successive days) put forth a perfect and regular mea- 

 sured tick. The change to rough weather intervening, 

 all ticks ceased, but I kept a constant watch upon 

 their movements. At ten o'clock on the night of the 

 26th of August, at the latter-mentioned spot, the 

 bright and busy little fellow put forth all its best efforts, 

 to my especial delight. Could it have remained 

 there all that time ? I anxiously waited a return of 

 the kind of weather congenial to its operations. The 

 beating of this perfect specimen, and the occasional 

 performance of the other, although some distance 

 off, continued almost without intermission till the 

 29th, and till this date I was under the impression 

 they preferred a separate and solitary life, in- 

 dividually remote from each other. I never till that 

 night heard more than one at a time. About 10.30, 

 I was listening quietly to the well-sustained tap of 

 the individual just mentioned. Suddenly another 

 commenced, a third and fourth, all within the space 

 of six inches of each other, and so continuous were their 

 ticks that no entire cessation occurred all night and 

 the greater part of the next day. It was a perfect re- 

 semblance in miniature of a watchmaker's repairing- 

 shop. There were gathered together quite alittle colony, 



and although the banging of the door caused them 

 all to stop for a time, confidence was soon restored, 

 and all went on again as merrily as ever. If this 

 power of ticking existed only as a call between male 

 and female, was it possible that a number of either 

 sex had become so separated that they had combined 

 together for the purpose of attracting the attention 

 of the opposite sex, or was it a real musical frolic 

 got up for the purpose of rival charms ? There was 

 a perfect resemblance in the tone of ticks, and I 

 thought it singular that all should have succeeded in 

 obtaining the same favourable conditions for its 

 production. Not enjoying the best of health, I have 

 passed many sleepless hours with the delightful relief 

 of listening to their industrious little taps. How 

 laboriously they rattle on ; how often I have envied 

 their healthy, tiny activity ! Had any one tainted with 

 the slightest superstitious fear concerning the fatal 

 warning of these insects, heard this combined concert, 

 it must have set their minds for ever at rest, and they 

 would have joined with me in a good laugh outright 

 for several minutes. September 1st : — The prospect 

 of now obtaining one of this colony presented such 

 a favourable opportunity that I determined to take 

 every pains to secure one that had actually performed 

 this ticking. I succeeded in capturing two ; one 

 became injured, and died. I also obtained a second 

 one during the day, and have two alive, and in 

 captivity. To my surprise I found them to be 

 Anobium, differing considerably from all others, 

 particularly in their active movements, darting 

 instantly into any cavity and hiding themselves from 

 observation. Altogether, the death-watch is a 

 most intelligent little fellow ; it travels when 

 unobserved all round the glass box, seeking the 

 means of escape. I have found them beneath 

 paper pasted on a wooden rail, this being some- 

 what perforated with open burrows along its 

 surface. September 14 : — My insects are still alive, 

 and although I have placed pieces of the same wood 

 covered with paper in the box, and they usually 

 hide behind it, I have not been able to detect any 

 sign of ticking, although they have been placed 

 near where others were ticking. I am hoping 

 to preserve them, or that they may deposit eggs, 

 as I am just about quitting my house, and I may 

 never again have so good a chance of making their 

 acquaintance, and knowing more about their habits. 

 The change of weather to-day will doubtless cause 

 an entire suspension of activity. — September 16, 1880. 

 Ipswich. Thomas Stopher. 



A clever Fowl. — I saw the other day a cochin 

 cockerel about six months old, which could un- 

 fasten the door of his coop which was secured by a 

 button, when he wanted to go to roost, or get at the 

 food placed in the enclosure. This would show reason 

 in the bird, and not mere instinct. — S. B. 



