More Beetles 



shaped like an heraldic scutcheon, perfectly 

 smooth and absolutely devoid of any sort of 

 fluting. This Is the musical-box. 



The edge of the corselet, Itself smooth In- 

 side, rubs over this surface, passing to and 

 fro with a rhythmical movement and thus 

 creating a sound which Is once more like that 

 of a window-pane rubbed with a moistened 

 finger. Still, I am unable to make the dead 

 Insect's apparatus sound by moving the corse- 

 let myself. Though I hear nothing, I at 

 least feel with my moving fingers the shrill 

 vibration of the surfaces rubbed. A little 

 more and the sound would be audible. 

 What Is lacking? The stroke of the bow 

 which the live Insect alone Is able to supply. 



We find the same mechanism In the small 

 Capricorn, Ceramhyx cerdo,^ and In the 

 denizen of the willows, the Rose-scented 

 Aromla, A. moschata.^ On the other hand, 

 the i^gosoma and Ergates, mighty Longl- 

 corns both, are without the projection fitting 

 Into the corselet, or rather possess of It 

 only as much as Is strictly necessary to join 



1 Cf. The Glo^w-ivorm and Other Beetles: chap. viii. — 

 Translator's Note. 



2 Also known as the Musk Beetle. The insect emits a 

 strong smell of musk and is found crawling on decaying 

 willows. — Translator's Note. 



204 



