356 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



for a totally different one, and at last, bidding adieu 

 to. its native pool, it ascends the stem of some aquatic 

 plant and there fixes itself in a favourable position for 

 undergoing its final metamorphosis, the details of 

 which we need not give, although they are singularly 

 interesting. Through a slit in the pupa-skin it liberates 

 itself complete in all its parts, with the exception of the 

 wings these are at first very small, very flabby, moist 

 and soft, but they grow so rapidly that in the course 

 of an hour or two they become quite rigid and dry ; 

 the perfect insect is then prepared to enter into the 

 active enjoyment of its new phase of existence, and 

 takes its first flight. 



Among the other families of this order we find the 

 well known may-flies, and the beautiful lace-winged 

 flies ; but in the system of classification which we take 

 as our guide, that which first claims our notice is not 

 yet known by any other than its scientific name, this, 

 however, is not important, as we purpose dealing with 

 one species only of those that are included in it we 

 mean the Atropos pulsatorius, a very minute, nearly 

 transparent creature, with such tender and delicate 

 tissues that it is impossible to capture it uninjured 

 without the most careful manipulation. Among old 

 books and papers, neglected collections of insects, dried 

 plants, and dilapidated paper-hangings, the "paper- 

 mite" is sometimes sufficiently common to be very 

 destructive ; but its chief claim to notoriety is the 

 alleged fact that it shares with the death-watch the 

 faculty of producing an " ominous " ticking noise. This 

 is alluded to by Kirby and Spence, and by Westwood 

 in his more recent work on the classification of insects, 

 without one word of comment implying a doubt on 

 the subject ; but the author of a monograph of the 

 British species of this family, and who may therefore 

 be assumed to have studied them attentively, does not 

 believe it possible that so minute an insect as Atropos, 

 with such a soft body, can be capable of producing 



