252 
THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 
the fungus^ containing white maggots, and one or two pupee : 
do these produce the beetle ? 
F. — Yes : for I once reared one of these pupse to the 
perfect state ; the toad-beetle was produced on the 1 9 th 
of August ; I had taken it in pupa on the 5th ; how much 
longer it had been in that state, I have no means of ascer- 
taining. The habit which some insects have of counter- 
feiting death, is a singular and inexplicable one. Very many 
genera of beetles have this practice : when they are touched 
or disturbed, they suddenly draw in their antennae and palpi, 
and gather up their legs and feet close to the abdomen : 
some species have hollows in the abdomen, in which the legs 
lie on such occasions ; and that so closely, one part fitting 
in with another, that the eye can scarcely discover them, 
the whole appearing a smooth surface. The antennae are 
generally hidden beneath the clypeus, or shield of the head ; 
but those of most of the Curculionidce, which are situated 
on the end of a long rostrum or snout, have the first joint 
much elongated, at the end of which they can be doubled up, 
the two portions lying parallel with each other, and so close 
to the side of the rostrum as to be invisible. It has been 
said that insects on these occasions will allow themselves to 
be roasted to death over a fire without moving, but my own 
observation does not agree with this ; I have invariably 
found that the application of heat caused them to sprawl out 
their limbs pretty quickly. It may, however, be different 
in some instances. 
C. — Has any motive been assigned or conjectured for 
this habit ? 
F. — It is thought that it may be for the purpose of es- 
caping detection ; as the projecting limbs, and still more the 
motion of insects often cause them to attract notice, when 
otherwise they would be overlooked. It is true they 
do not feign death unless they are actually touched, but 
