Insects. 471 



ness of the barrier through which the insect, when arrived at 

 the perfect state, would have to make its way ; its jaws, in that 

 state, not being so strong as in the Jarva state. — Id, Dec. 7. 

 1832. 



Feb. 21. 1833. I have, within a few days, again heard the 

 ticking of the Anobia in my chimney-board, — Id. 



March 12. I have heard the ticking repeated in my 

 chimney-board both during February and the present month: 

 it is, however, only at distant intervals that I hear the noise. 

 Your correspondent, R. Edmonds, jun., has shown that the 

 statements of Swammerdam, Derham, Latreille, &c., that the 

 perfect Anobium ticks, are correct, whilst my own observ- 

 ations, strengthened by those of Olivier (which I have men- 

 tioned in my note of Dec. 7.), as well as by Swift's lines, — 



" A wood worm 



That lies in old wood," 



" If the maggot cries click when it scratches the post," 



seem to establish that the larva is the cause of at least some 

 of these portentous sounds. 



I may add, as bearing upon the question, that I have, at the 

 present time a larva of Anobium tessellatum, which I have 

 been endeavouring to rear for the last three years. — Id. 



March 1 4. My friend, Alexander Greisbach, Esq., informs 

 me that he distinctly saw the large Anobium tessellatum, whilst 

 standing upon an old rotten oak tree in Windsor Forest, throw 

 back its head and the front part of its body, resting at the 

 time upon the hind pair of legs, and then suddenly jerk its 

 head upon the surface of the wood upon which it was standing, 

 and produce a sharp sound. [See also Vol. II. p. 461.] 



May 22. The insect in my chimney-board has kept up his 

 noise without any change of place, during the last and present 

 months, together with another in my window frame ; and, 

 since the hot weather set in, the noise has been much more 

 continuous, as though the larva had arrived at a larger and 

 stronger size : even whilst I write this, the noise is going on, 

 and I cannot compare it to anything more apt than the sound 

 caused by scratching the lid of a small chip box with the point 

 of a pen. I have not yet seen a perfect Anobium. — Id. 



Nov. 18. The ticking in my fireboard has been continued 

 in precisely the same spot through the whole of the summer 

 and autumn, and long after the perfect Anobia had made their 

 appearance. This the more confirms my idea of this noise 

 being caused by the larva, which reniains several years in that 

 state. Had it been caused by the imago, it would not have 

 been heard at the same spot for so many months. Whilst 

 writing this, the noise is continued in the same spot. — Id. 



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