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  xxxii 
  ) 
  

  

  from 
  the 
  e 
  achromatic 
  or 
  normal 
  coloration 
  of 
  a 
  species. 
  

   Mr. 
  Weir 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1891 
  had 
  been 
  an 
  

   unusually 
  cold 
  one 
  — 
  indeed, 
  it 
  could 
  scarcely 
  be 
  termed 
  a 
  

   summer 
  ; 
  and 
  these 
  very 
  dusky 
  specimens 
  supported 
  Mr. 
  

   Merrifield's 
  theory 
  that 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  cold 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  

   prior 
  to 
  the 
  emergence 
  of 
  the 
  imago 
  tended 
  to 
  produce 
  that 
  

   result. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  C. 
  J. 
  Gahan 
  exhibited 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  

   " 
  book-louse" 
  [Atropos 
  pitlsatoria, 
  Fabr.), 
  a 
  minute 
  insect 
  of 
  

   the 
  order 
  Neuroptera, 
  and 
  made 
  some 
  remarks 
  concerning 
  

   the 
  curious 
  noises 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  death-watch." 
  

   It 
  was 
  a 
  well-ascertained 
  fact, 
  he 
  said, 
  that 
  sounds 
  of 
  this 
  

   kind 
  were 
  caused 
  by 
  different 
  beetles 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Anobium 
  ; 
  

   but 
  that, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  very 
  strong 
  circumstantial 
  

   evidence 
  detailed 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  observers 
  who 
  traced 
  similar 
  

   sounds 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  Atropos 
  pulsatoria, 
  much 
  doubt 
  has 
  

   been 
  entertained 
  by 
  some 
  eminent 
  entomologists 
  that 
  this 
  

   little 
  soft-bodied 
  creature 
  could 
  possibly 
  produce 
  sounds, 
  

   audible, 
  at 
  a 
  distance, 
  to 
  human 
  ears. 
  Two 
  recent 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  had 
  convinced 
  him, 
  he 
  stated, 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  sounds 
  

   were 
  to 
  be 
  attributed 
  to 
  this 
  insect. 
  At 
  about 
  half-past 
  

   eleven 
  o'clock 
  on 
  a 
  night 
  in 
  October 
  last, 
  when 
  the 
  room 
  in 
  

   which 
  he 
  was 
  sitting 
  was 
  still, 
  he 
  distinctly 
  heard 
  the 
  " 
  death- 
  

   watch." 
  Listening 
  awhile, 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  sound 
  pro- 
  

   ceeded 
  from 
  a 
  wide-mouthed 
  earthen 
  vase 
  standing 
  near 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  a 
  marble 
  mantel-piece. 
  The 
  sound, 
  which 
  consisted 
  

   of 
  rapid 
  beats 
  in 
  regular 
  succession, 
  lasted 
  for 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  

   nearly 
  a 
  minute, 
  and 
  was 
  repeated 
  at 
  short 
  intervals. 
  When 
  

   he 
  proceeded 
  to 
  carefully 
  remove 
  the 
  vase 
  to 
  a 
  table 
  the 
  

   sound 
  ceased. 
  He 
  then 
  emptied 
  the 
  vase 
  of 
  its 
  contents 
  — 
  ^an 
  

   ordinary 
  chip 
  match-box, 
  containing 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  beetles 
  

   gummed 
  on 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  card. 
  In 
  the 
  match-box 
  he 
  found 
  a 
  

   single 
  specimen 
  of 
  Atropos 
  pulsatoria, 
  the 
  only 
  living 
  thing 
  

   that 
  could 
  possibly 
  have 
  been 
  in, 
  or 
  close 
  to, 
  the 
  jar 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  the 
  sound 
  was 
  heard 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  for 
  him 
  

   to 
  resist 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  sound 
  was 
  caused 
  by 
  this 
  

   insect. 
  To 
  put 
  the 
  matter 
  to 
  a 
  further 
  test, 
  he 
  secured 
  the 
  

   insect 
  in 
  a 
  chip 
  pill-box 
  with 
  a 
  close 
  fitting 
  cover, 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  

   of 
  hearing 
  it 
  repeat 
  its 
  performance. 
  Though 
  he 
  had 
  listened 
  

  

  