168 Anobium pertinax and barometrical minima. 
of the Anobium is „Dödningeuhret*, which might be translated as the 
Death’s watch or the dead man’s watch). On the contrary, what inter- 
ested me much more was the circumstance that the country people re- 
garded it as certain that, when the beetle’s knocking was heard, we would 
assuredly have „change in the weather“. 
Now it is presumed as settled that the knocking of the Boring 
Beetle for the greater part serves as a sort of language that will make 
it easier to the two sexes to find each other. I shall not try either to 
deny or to support this theory, which may perhaps be well founded, 
but, on the contrary, to a certain extent discuss the theory of the connec- 
tion between the change of the weather and the knocking of the Boring 
Beetle, which theory I was in the habit of Studying about 20 years ago. 
My researches and experiences from that time and during several years 
shew me that there was really something about the question. It became 
evident that Anobium pertinax to a certain extent really could be taken 
as a good weather prophet, almost as good as a barometer, but of course 
we cannot fully rely on the glass as a weather prophet except we have 
some knowledge of the meteorological laws. 
I shall not go into details as to my investigations or give any 
statistics relating my daily observations and notes, but shall be satisfying 
myself in giving a summary of the results from my observations: The 
knocking of the Boving Beetle is most often heard in the 
autumn and winter months and more especially only when 
the barometer is strongly raising or falling. I must especially 
point out that the characteristie Sound of the knocking is very distinetly 
heard in both cases, and it is very energetic too, and that it consequently 
is the change of the air depression that causes the little coleopteron 
to act so energeticly. 
Fvery Meteorologist knows that whether the barometer is strongly 
or suddenly falling or raising the weather will then be very unreliable, 
rainy Or stormy, on account of change in the air depression or better 
of the fact that a barometrical minimum on its way in a north easterly 
direction (in the northern part of Europe) is in the neighbourhood, either 
coming against us (falling of the glass) or having passed at some distance 
and going from us (raising of the glass). 
After having for some years studied the matter I felt convinced 
that „folk’s* experience in this as in many other cases really was based 
upon facts, and that the Boring Beetle pretty well could be considered 
as a good weather prophet. 
My observations had been made in old houses with very old and 
partly rotten wood work, in which the Anobium as a rule easily may be 
found. But meanwhile I became occupied in quite other entomological 
branches and went on long journeys abroad, so I did not think much 
more of the Boring Beetle and its life habits for a series of years. 
After having returned from remote countries (1907) I settled here 
in Silkeborg in quite a new house to work out and study my collections 
in quiet surroundings.. When I now was most interested either in pre- 
paration of neotropical insects or occupied with the microscope or the 
lense, who was it then that disturbed me and so energetically called my 
attention by the well known knocking? Of course the Boring Beetle! 
I was compelled to take interest in the little creature once more! 
