Mr. T. V. Wollaston on certain Musical Curculionidse. 1 5 



of many creatures in concert; and on looking closer for the 

 mysterious cause, he detected a specimen of Amlles, from which 

 it was quite evident that a portion of the noise proceeded. On 

 shaking the hollow stem, so as to arouse its inmates, and putting 

 his ear alongside it, the whole plant appeared musical, as though 

 enchanted; and it was evident to him, therefore, that there were 

 more of the performers within, — a conjecture which proved to be 

 correct, for, on breaking open the branches, he captured nearly 

 a dozen of them. 



No one who has studied the genus Acalles in a state of nature, 

 particularly the comparatively gigantic forms of subaustral lati- 

 tudes, and who has marked their dull, obscurely-variegated sur- 

 faces and nodose bodies (often with such difficulty distinguished 

 from the masses of lichen and wood to which they have chanced 

 to adhere), as well as their singular mode of counterfeiting death, 

 when disturbed, by contracting their legs under them, and ap- 

 plying their head and rostrum so closely against their chest as 

 to appear at first sight, even when thrown about, mere shapeless 

 masses, motionless and inanimate, — can be surprised that an 

 uneducated eye should have failed in perceiving at once the 

 tenants of those stems, when first exposed to view : but natu- 

 ralists who are acquainted with the species of this singular group 

 would rather anticipate such a result as not only probable but 

 almost certain. 



So pleased was I with the accomplishments of these anomalous 

 musicians, when brought to me, that I felt quite a reluctance 

 (even though an entomologist) to put them to death. I 

 therefore made a compromise with my feelings, and killed only 

 eight of them. The remaining three I kept alive for several 

 weeks, and even took them to Madeira, — where, however, they 

 unfortunately died (as I imagine, from hunger) just before em- 

 barking for England. So long as they lived, however, it was 

 a constant source of amusement to make these creatures stridu- 

 late, or " sing," as it was usually called, which they would inva- 

 riably do, for almost any length of time, when alarmed, — as, for 

 instance, when held between the finger and thumb, and slightly 

 pinched. In this manner I have had four of them chirping at 

 a time ; and so loud was the noise produced that it might be 

 heard at the distance of many yards. 



It was some time before I was able to satisfy myself, not only 

 as to the modus operandi of this proceeding, but even as to the 

 exact region of the body from whence it emanated ; for they 

 would often stridulate when lying on their sides, with their limbs 

 closely retracted and their head applied to their chest, and in 

 fact whilst to all appearance perfectly passive and inanimate. 

 Most Coleopterists are aware of the power possessed by many 



