THE BOMBARDIER BEETLE — PAUSSUS. 65 



serving the whitish vapour with which the explosions 

 were accompanied, the negro exclaimed in his broken 

 English, with evident surprise, ^ Ah, massa, they make 

 smoke ! ' " * 



A similar means of defence is possessed by beetles 

 belonging to a very different family — the Paussidsa. 

 Captain Boyes mentions f that on one occasion, having 

 captured a Paussus Fichtelii " it immediately emitted 

 two loud and very distinct crepitations, accompanied 

 with a sensation of heat, and attended by a strong 

 acidulous scent. It left a dark-coloured stain on the 

 fingers resembling that produced by caustic, and 

 which had a strong odour something like nitric 

 acid. A circumstance so remarkable induced me to 

 determine its truth, for which purpose I kept it alive 

 till the next morning, and, in order to certify myself of 

 the fact, the following experiments were resorted to. 

 Having prepared some test-paper by colouring it with 

 a few petals of a deep red oleander, I gently turned 

 the Paussus over it, and immediately placed my finger 

 on the insect, at which time I distinctly heard a crepi- 

 tation, which was repeated in a few seconds on the 

 pressure being renewed, and each discharge was ac- 

 companied by a vapour-like steam, which was emitted 

 to the distance of half an inch, and attended by a very 

 strong and penetrating odour of nitric acid." 



I do not, however, refer to these cases as affording 

 any evidence that the insects themselves possess the 

 power of hearing, but merely on account of their 



♦ Westwood, " Modern Classification of Insects," vol. i. p. 76. 



t " Tlie Economy of the Paussidse," Ann. and Magazine of Natural 

 History, vol. xviii. ; see also Periuguay's "Notes on Three Paussi," 

 Transactions of the Entomological Society, 1883, p. 133. 



F 



