Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-12-16
"DEATH WATCH" NOISES.

| Produced by Beetle, as Learned by a
| Persian Chemist.
There is a more or less clearly defined
thread OF superstition running through
the minds of most people, and not
few who have ut various times been
involuntary listeners to the sounds of
unfamiliar uckings, especially during
! the hours of darkness, have been ul-
| able to prevent their imagina ton lead
| ing them back 10 the stories told them II
childhood of the dreaded omen o. the
| tick of the deum watch, Which precedes
Il death in the family, says the Pitts
| SurS Dispatch. 1t is now Well known
! that the ticking is produced by an insect
| and Il Parisiau chemist has not only
taken the trouble " Investigate the
subject thoroughly, but has sent to Il
paIls paper TIVE insects actually caught
in the act OF producing the sounds al
| luded to. They We're OH the same sheet
OF packing paper (strons Jared paper)
but on opposite sides and III Il distance
| OF about four inches apart. one struck
tOrciDly with its head ut the rate of six
blows per second, and the insect on the
had finished.
The insect is ii tiny beetle, barely
Il quarter of an inch long 1t is gener-
ally during the night that it produces
| the ticking sounds, and in order to do so
draws in the antennae and intermedi-
ate legs, aud, resting principally upoh
the medium legs, strikes its head against
its support by Il sort of rocking motion.
1t is through this noise that the male
sect lives III woodwork frame work,
old furniture, etc., which IL SnaWS IN
the interior without anything outside
! beuayng its presence.
| a +ew weeks after il has been trans
! formed TO the cnryS;lliS state the per
! feet insect comes forth and makes lts
! exit from the wood by boring IL perfect
| ly cylindrical hole Ill 1t, which hereafter
SHOWS that the wood has been attacked;
and it is often mutilated to such ii de-
gree that i, is virtually destroyed. A
smaller species of the same genus works
| equal havoc, not only with wood, but
| books, herbaria, natural history collect
| ions, cork, dry bread, crackers, etc. Tbs
death watch beetle has the inyariable
| habit OF feigning death when seized
| or disturbed. The stimulation is SO per
| siStent that when immersed in water
! or even in alcohol the insect remains
perfevtly immovable and will allow
itself to be burned alive rather than
] betray itself.
HER SCHEMES WERE IN. VAIN.
The Mans stupidity Frustrated All Her
| Weu-Laid Ilans.
1t was at the hotel table, and they
looked suspiciously like a bridal couple,
but their conversation seemed to dis
prove the theory. He had explained in
rather loud tones that he had seWed
the loop on his overcoat with white
| thread and she had told him that if
he'd had any ingenuity he could have
made it black by drawing it through
! the ink bottle. So that every one
! could see they were "old married peo-
pie" for, Of course, Il bride would have
reproachfully asked him why he hadn't
| let her do it.
! Then they began to order their din
ner.
'Will you have 4 red-head duck or a
mallard?" he asked
"1m sure I don't know" she return
ed airily 81 don't know the difference
between a red-head duck and a blue
eyed pheasant
This flippancy disconnected him for
a moment, but he seemed to remember
something and went on:
'Well, how do some broiled quails
strike your
'fBroiled or stewed. it's immaterial to
me-" she answered nonchalantly.
Then he became Cross and delivered
himself Of an opinion.
"See here, Alice, you've got to de-
eide. I don't want to go and order
something for our first dinner"
And then he suddenly paused as AL
ice moaned:
ooh, hush! I knew you'd forget.
You've given it away after all my at
tempt to seem so old-mar-ied! Oh,
Ralphr'
And the hearers thought again Of the
stupidity Of man and how it ruthlessly
destroys ali that the finesse of woman
accomplshes. And they also wonder
ed again why the victims of a wedding