20^ 



at a small Country Inn on the outskirts of the Lake District, 

 when about dusk, our ears caught the ticking of the death 

 watch. Here was an opportunity not to be lost — we had the old 

 room to ourselves and nothing else to do, for all the literature it 

 contained was a Farmers' Almanac and a Whitehaven News a 

 fortnight old. After procuring candles, we commenced our search, 

 and a most exciting hunt it was — the beetle either possessed the 

 powers of ventriloquism, or there were more than one of them ; for 

 the sound seemed to change from one place to another, till we 

 were nearly bewildered. However, we changed our tactics, and 

 instead of rushing up and down after the sound, we sat down to 

 watch one particular place ; and after a very patient vigil, we 

 discovered the insect on the inside of the door of an old cupboard, 

 which bore unmistakeable signs of the tunneling of Anobium. 

 The power of this insect to resist poison, may be seen from the 

 fact of the root of Monkshood, which I obtained from one of 

 our members, Mr. Fisher, of Bank Street, having been tunneled in 

 all directions, both by the larva and the perfect insect. There is 

 one poison that is too much for it, and pieces of furniture, etc., 

 may still be saved, even when very bad, by injecting into the 

 holes spirits of wine in which corrosive sublimate has been 

 dissolved. We have tried this on several occasions, and always 

 found it answer. 



