Stag Beetles or Pinch-Bugs 233 



of the aUies of which we read in an old magazine of 

 1900: 



"As you walk by the hedgeside a strange noise 

 suddenly attracts your attention; it is the buzz of 

 an insect, but loud enough to startle you; it might 

 be mistaken for the reeling of a nightjar, but it is 

 perhaps more like the jarring hum of a fastly- 

 driven motor car. The reason of the noise is that 

 the beetle has with great pains climbed up a certain 

 height from the ground and in order to ascertain 

 whether he has got far enough, he erects himself 

 on his stand, lifts his wing cases, shakes out his 

 wings, and begins to agitate them violently, tiu-n- 

 ing this way and that to make sure that he has a 

 clear space. If he then attempts to fly — it is one 

 of his common blunders — he instantly strikes 

 against some branch or cluster of leaves and is 

 thrown down. The tumble does not hurt him in 

 the least, but so greatly astonishes him that he 

 remains motionless a good while, then recovering 

 his senses, he begins to ascend again. At length, 

 after a good many accidents and adventures by 

 the way, he gets on to the topmost twig, and after 

 some buzzing to get up steam, launches himself 

 heavily on the air and goes away in grand style." 

 This proves him to be a real cousin to our pinch-bug. 



