114 Life and Immortality. 
discharge, but there is sufficient to produce a series of 
explosions, each explosion being perceptibly fainter than its 
predecessor. By pressing the abdomen of the dead Beetle 
between finger and thumb these explosions may even be 
produced. In hot countries, where exceedingly large species 
abound, the explosions are said to be very loud, and accom- 
panied with quite a cloud of blue vapor. 
