Insects. 469 



1 had never seen a death-watch, I was anxious to secure this ; 

 but, fearful that it might escape me by candlelight, I deferred 

 my search until morning. The light being extinguished, I 

 still heard the insect imitating and keeping time with the 

 watch, the beating of which it probably mistook for the call 

 of its mate. The next morning, after sunrise, I again heard 

 my little visiter mimicking the sound of my watch, the voice 

 proceeding from the same spot as before. I now slowly and 

 carefully unrolled the paper, and lifted it from the chimney- 

 piece, minutely examining every part of it; but I found 

 nothing whatever therein. I then examined that part of the 

 chimney-piece on which the paper had rested, and there I 

 perceived the enclosed beetle lying on its side, apparently 

 dead. The chimney-piece, which was painted white, was 

 quite clean, and, having carefully examined it, I can state 

 that nothing in the shape of a living creature except this 

 insect, was on the chimney-piece ; but whether it fell from the 

 paper as I was carefully unrolling it, or whether it was before 

 on the chimney-piece, 1 do not know. The wooden chimney- 

 piece was not pierced by any insect. I have said that the 

 beetle lay apparently dead. Those who are acquainted with 

 this genus (Anobium) of coleopterous insects are aware of the 

 pertinacity or fortitude with which some of the species simulate 

 death to deceive their enemies: andl might, no doubt, have torn 

 this individual limb from limb, or roasted it alive, before it 

 would have betrayed any sign of life. That the insect was 

 not however actually dead, was afterwards evident from my 

 finding it, during the same day, on the top of a paper box, at 

 the bottom of which I had placed it for future examination. 



That the enclosed insect produced the two different kinds of 

 ticking which I heard, there can be therefore no question ; but 

 whether it produced those sounds by striking on the paper, 

 or by striking on the chimney-piece, or by any other means, 

 I am not prepared to say. Possibly the deeper, louder, and 

 less frequent beating which I heard was produced by striking 

 against the chimney-piece, while the other was produced by 

 striking on the paper. In the Pliiloso^Jiical T^^ansactions, 

 No. 245. p. 376. and No. 271. p. 832. are descriptions of 

 death-watches by Mr. Allen and Mr. Derham j but neither 

 there, nor elsewhere, have I met with any account of a death- 

 watch similar to that which I have now given. Yours, &c^ 

 — R. Edmonds^ jiin, Bedruth, Dec. 31. 1831. 



[Our correspondent's insect came to us in a crushed state; 

 but still its length, and the longitudinal furrows of its wing-* 

 covers, were readily observable, and were as stated in his 

 description. Mr. Westwood, to whom the specimen hn& 



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