to the clafs of coleopterous infedts, or fuch as have 
horny or fhelly (heaths defending their wings, for it is 
a winged infedt, though rarely feen in flight. The 
genus to which it unqueftionably belongs is that of 
Ptinus ; but it is remarkable that it does not occur in 
the twelfth edition of the Syftema Naturae of Linnaeus; 
nor has Fabricius diftindtly mentioned it in his en¬ 
tomological works, unlefs his Dermejles tejjelatus be 
intended for the fame infedt, in which cafe he mud 
have placed it in a wrong genus. In the twentieth and 
twenty-fecond volumes of the Philofophical Tranfac- 
tions it has been long ago defcribed, and fome very 
juft obfervations made relative to its habits and general 
appearance, by the celebrated Mr. Derham, and it is 
extremely Angular that fo remarkable an infedt (hould 
have almoft efcaped the notice of more modern ento- 
mologifts. Ridiculous, and even incredible as it may 
appear, it is an animal that may in fome meafure 
be tamed; at lead it may be fo far familiarized as 
to be made to beat occafionally, by taking it out of 
its confinement and beating on a table or board, which 
it readily anfwers, and will continue to beat as often 
as required. 
We muft be careful not to confound this infedt, 
which is the real Death-watch of the vulgar, (em¬ 
phatically fo called,) with another infedt, which makes 
a found like the ticking of a watch, and which con¬ 
tinues its found for a long time without intermiflion: 
it belongs to a totally different tribe from the Death- 
watch, and is the Termes pulfatorium of Linnaeus. 
I (hall conclude this defcription of the Death-watch 
by a fentence from the celebrated work. Pfeudodoxia 
Epidmica, 
