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I. A Letter from the Reverend Mr Williartl Derham to the 
Publtpery concerning anlnfe^ that is commonly called the 
Death Watch; 
Upminfter, July 21. 1701. 
SIR, 
Y Confefslam not fo well acquainted with Books; 
^ which treat of Infeifs, to know whether the account 
which I now fend you, concerning Death Watches^ be a 
Novelty, or not. The name of Death-Watches is com- 
mon enough, and their noife terrible to many, who look 
upon it as the found of the dreadful Meflenger of Death, 
little imagining it to be only a fportive exercife ot a very 
Of thefe Death-Watches (or Infefts which make a noife 
like the Beats of a Watch } I have obferved two forts. 
One of them I find a very exad and true account of in 
Philof. Tranf No 245, The Infect ^there defcribed being' 
lefs (hy, and much bigger than the other, I difcovered 
fome years ago. This year I caught many in May^ in my 
Study : two of which (a Male and Female) I kept alive 
in a- little Box about 3 weeks 3 and could make one of 
them beat whenever I pleafed, by imitating his beating* 
At laft one died, the other gnawed hfs way out thro the 
fide of the Box. 
The reafon why I judge thefe to be Male and Female 
is, becaufe I have often by my Ticking noife invited the 
Male to get up upon the other in way of Coition. That 
which I took to be the Male, was fomewhat lefler than 
the other, and was moft free in anfwering my Beats. Be- 
tere he got upon the other, he would beat yery eagerly 5 
and when he found that he was got up ia> vain, he would 
get off, and beat again eagerly, and then up. again. ¥mm 
whence I guefs thefe pulfations to be the way whereby 
thefe Infefts wooe one another, and find our, and iavite 
each otber to copulation^ 
«^his Mr Alien hsith taken no notice. of in his aforenamed 
rela^ 
