2$0 THE DEATH-WATCH PTINUS. 



every hour in the day. The noise exactly resembles 

 that made by beating with the nail on a table*. 



The insect being difficult to discover, from its ob- 

 scure greyish brown colour, nearly resembling that 

 of decayed wood, it is not always easy to say from 

 what exact spot the sound proceeds. Mr. Stack- 

 house observed carefully the manner of its beating. 

 He says the insect raises itself on its hinder legs, 

 and, with the body somewhat inclined, beats its 

 head with great force and agility against the place on 

 which it stands. One of them, on a sedge-bottomed 

 chair, exerted so much force that its strokes were 

 impressed and visible in the exterior coat of the 

 sedge, for a space equal to that of a silver penny. 

 Mr. S. took this insect and put it into a box. On 

 the following day he opened the box, and set it in 

 the sun. It seemed very brisk, and crept about 

 with great activity on the bits of sedge and rotten 

 wood, till at last, getting to the end of the pieces, it 

 extended its wings, and was about to take leave ; 

 he shut down the lid, when it withdrew them and 

 remained quiet. He kept it by him about a fort- 

 night f. 



The idea of taming this little animal may appear 

 absurd : it has, however, been so much familiarized 

 as to be made to beat occasionally, by taking i-t out 

 of its confinement, and beating with the nail or the 

 point of a pen on a table or board. It will answer 



* Shaw's Nat. Mis. iii. £04. 



•j- Phil. Tran. vol. xxxiii. p. 159. 



