HEARING IN INSECTS. 



101 



have several times surprised the Savoyard beetle 

 (Anohmm tessolatiim, Fabr.) beating with redoubled 

 strokes with its head upon the ceiling*." He pre- 

 tends not to decide whether it was to knock out a 

 cavity for its eg-gs, or a call to its mate. 



Latreille says, the male and the female (Jnobia), 

 at the period of pairing, strike many times successively 

 and rapidly with their mandibles the wainscot where 

 they are placed, and mutually answer each other's 

 signal, and such is the cause of the ominous tickingf. 

 He observed an instance of this in the striated timber 

 beetle {Anohmm striatum)^ which, upon striking 

 with its mandibles on the outside of a pile of wood, 

 was answered from within. 



We have ourselves observed the clicking made by 

 a beetle (Anobium pertinax), more common, perhaps, 



Several species of death-watch beetles greatly magnified, a, Anohium 

 tesselatum. b, Anohium striatum, c, Anohium pcrtinax. 



than the preceding, in the holes of old wood, and 

 have heard it more frequently in the night than the 

 day. It moves its head up and down like a pendulum 

 when it clicks, but we could not be certain whether 



* Hist. Nat. des Insectes, iii. 123, ed. 1830. 

 t Regne Animal, iv. 484, ed. 1829. 



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