168 



Anobium pertinax and barometrical minima. 



of the Anobium is „Dödningeuhret", which might be translated as the 

 Death's watch or the dead man's watch). On the contrary, what inter- 

 ested me much more was the circumstaace that the countiy people re- 

 garded it as certain that, when the beetle's knocking was heard, we would 

 assuredly have „change in the weather". 



Now it is presumed as settled that the knocking of the Boring 

 Beetle for the greater part serves as a sort of language that will make 

 it easier to the two sexes to find each other. I shall not tiy either to 

 deny or to support this theory, which may perhaps be well founded, 

 but, on the contrary, to a certain extent discuss the theory of the connec- 

 tion between the change of the weather and the knocking of the Boring 

 Beetle, which theory I was in the habit of Studying about 20 years ago. 

 My researches and experiences from that time and during several years 

 shew me that there was really something about the question. It became 

 evident that Anobium pertinax to a certain extent really could be taken 

 as a good weather prophet, almost as good as a barometer, but of course 

 we cannot fully rely on the glass as a weather prophet except we have 

 some knowledge of the meteorological laws. 



I shall not go into details as to my investigations or give any 

 statistics relating my daily observations and notes, but shall be satisfying 

 myself in giving a summary of the results from my observations: The 

 knocking of the Boving Beetle is most often heard in the 

 autumn and winter months and more especially onl}^ when 

 the barometer is strongly raising or falling. I must especially 

 point out that the characteristic Sound of the knocking is very distinctly 

 heard in both cases, and it is very energetic too, and that it consequently 

 is the change of the alr depression that causes the little coleopteron 

 to act so energeticly. 



Every Meteorologist knows that whether the barometer is strongly 

 or suddenly falling or raising the weather will then be very unreliable, 

 rainy or stormy, on account of change in the air depression or better 

 of the fact that a barometrical minimum on its way in a north easterly 

 direction (in the northern part of Europe) is in the neighbourhood, either 

 Coming against us (falling of the glass) or having passed at some distance 

 and going from us (raising of the glass^ 



After having for some years studied the matter I feit convinced 

 that „folk's" experience in this as in many other cases really was based .M 

 upon facts, and that the Boring Beetle pretty well could be considered ^ 

 as a good weather prophet. 



My observations had been made in old houses with very old and 

 partly rotten wood work, in which the Anobium as a rule easily may be 

 found. But meanwhile I became occupied in quite other entomological 

 branches and went on long journeys abroad, so I did not think much 

 more of the Boring Beetle and its life habits for a series of years. Jj 



After having returned from remote countries (1907) I settled here M 

 in Silkeborg in quite a new house to work out and study my collections S 

 in quiet surroundings. When I now was most interested either in pre- 

 paration of neotropical insects or occupied with the microscope or the 

 lense, who was it then that disturbed me and so energetically called my 

 attention by the well known knocking? Of course the Boring Beetle! 

 I was compelled to take interest in the little creature once more! 



