142 THE CAUSES WHICH PROPAGATE 



within the rotten stem of an Euphorbia {Klemia neriifolia, 

 D.C.), which, he narrates, he was about to throw away as worth- 

 less, when he was arrested by a loud, grating, almost chirping, 

 noise, as of many creatures in concert; and in looking closer 

 for the mysterious cause, he detected a truant beetle from 

 which it was quite evident that a portion of the noise pro- 

 ceeded. On shaking the hollow stem, so as to arouse its 

 inmates, and jmtting his ear alongside it, the plant appeared 

 musical, as though enchanted. Mr. Wollaston kept some of these 

 weevils in confinement, and discovered a constant source of amuse- 

 ment in making them sing. It was some time before he 

 could satisfy himself, not only as to the modus operandi of 

 this proceeding, but even as to the exact region of the body 

 whence it emanated, for they would often stridulate lying 

 on their sides, with their limbs closely retracted and their 

 head applied to the sternum, and, in fact, whilst to all appear- 

 ance perfectly passive and inanimate. At length his eye was 

 arrested by a minute and rapid vibration of the apical segment 

 of the abdomen. This solved the mystery. "The inner 

 portion of the elytra (corresponding with the constricted apical 

 region) against which the anal segment comes in contact at 

 each of the pulsatory movements, is to the naked eye dull and 

 sub-opaque; but when viewed beneath the microscope, this 

 duller portion is coarsely shagreened, or sub-reticulate.'''' In 

 the gigantic Acalles Neptmms from the Salvages this lima 

 presents the appearance of irregular elongate reticulations. 



On Mr. Wollaston^s arrival at Funchal from Teneriffe, in 

 June, 18.59, he exhibited his specimens (then in a lively state) 

 of the A. argillosus to Mr. Bewicke, and requested him to listen 

 attentively to the Madeiran species, whenever he chanced to meet 

 with them, and he was afterwards assured by him that he had 

 heard the music constantly in Acalles disjjar, nodiferus, terminalis, 

 and even in the minute A. Wollastoni, which is the smallest 

 of all the Madeiran weevils then discovered. Mr. F. Smith, 

 having read Mr. WoUaston^s " amusing and instructive paper,^"" 

 says, "I felt a strong desire to ascertain, if possible, whether 

 our British species possessed any amount of musical talent. 

 Durino- a few weeks' residence at Deal I had the good fortune 

 to beat from the hedges considerable numbers of two small 



