1884.] THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 63 



Xhe Entomologist. 



Eapping Beetles. — Mr. Owen "Wilson's most amusing account of 

 the death-watch reminds me of an incident which took place some 

 years ago at a house I then occupied in this county, where a rapping 

 beetle in the timbers caused some little alarm to a guest of mine, 

 and excited a vast amount of superstition in the village, and also — 

 last, but by no means least — wa.s the subject of a new.spaper 

 discussion, which secured for me the acquaintance and friendship of 

 a very clever man — a well-known member of the medical profession 

 and a firm believer in spiritualism. The house (Hambledon Lodge) 



was very old, and had belonged to Admiral D , who died in it 



at an advanced age. Whenever the windows shook or the boards 

 creaked, the servants said " the Admiral walked." The family sold 

 the house to a gentleman, who had it put in proj)er repair, bringing 

 foreign timber up from Portsmouth. I took the p)lace, and, never 

 having heard that " the Admiral walked," was quite free from any 

 ghostly fears, when one night a young lady, a friend of mine, M'ho 

 was on a visit at the Lodge, alarmed us by screaming loudly for aid. 

 I ran to her room, and found her in a very hysterical state. She 

 declared that there were distinct raps to be heard at intervals in 

 various parts of the room. I was at first inclined to laugh at the 

 matter. I told her she had an attack of indigestion, and a visit 

 from the noctiunal feminine steed that usually follows eating fruit 

 late at night; but after listening for some time in perfect silence, we all 

 heard the raps (never less than three in number) very plainly. My 

 friend finished her night's slumbers in my room, and the servants 

 locked their doors to keep the spirits out. Well, the tale became 

 told in the village, the rapping continued, the old story of the ghost 

 was revived, servants Avere afraid to stir after dark ; in fact, I was 

 literally vexed and very angry with the mysterious rapper. I men- 

 tioned the circumstance in some papers, and I received shoals of letters 

 offering advice, making suggestions, etc. The spiritualist before men- 

 tioned came down to see me. He slept in the spirit-infested room, 

 failed to elicit any intelligible reply to his questions, though the raps 

 were still continued. He attributed bis non-success to the presence 

 of a stronger will than his own in the house ; for my cousin, Mrs. F. 

 Parry-Okeden, was staying with me, and she did not believe that 

 the rapping was done by supernatural beings. To cut the story 



