248 NATURE'S TEACHINGS. 



In tropical America there are several large beetles which, 

 like our Stag-beetle, feed upon the sap of trees, and obtain it 

 by wounding the young branches with their jaws. 



One or two of them are pointed out as having the power of 

 cutting a branch completely off by seizing it in their deeply 

 toothed jaws, and flying round and round the branch so as to 

 convert themselves into a circular saw. The late Mr. Waterton 

 showed me a branch which had fallen on his head, and which 

 was said to have been cut off by the Sawyer-beetle, as the 

 insect is called. He did not actually see the insect at work, 

 but he had no doubt that the natives were right who told him 

 that it was the work of beetles' jaws. Certainly the cut looked 

 exactly as if it had been made in the way described. The 

 branch was somewhat thicker than an ordinary walking-stick. 



The truth of this statement has often been denied, but I 

 have ascertained from personal observers that it is literally 

 true. A loud noise is produced by the operation, and, as the 

 female is never seen to perform it, the general idea is that it is 

 a call to its mate. 



