From Frederick Smith   14 September 1869

My dear Sir

I regret that I am not prepared to decide as to whether the sexes stridulate in Mutilla   I can only affirm that the female does so—and that so sharply as to attract your notice immediately—¹ I have taken more specimens of the Male than the female but have not certainly noticed in the former sex.— One of the musicians that I have heard is Trox sabulosus— this insect I once observed on the wing— it settled in the grass within a yard of me—and on doing so I was attracted by the shrill tone it produced— I caught it in my hand and so loud was the squeak-like noise that a gamekeeper who was standing by asked if I had caught a mouse—² All the species of Necrophorus stridulate loudly³—but the most amusing performance is that the little weevil Acalles roboris—⁴ it is about this size. You will recollect Mr Wollastons paper in the Zoologist on the Musical Curculio—that he found I think in Madeira— this was a Sp. of Acalles⁵   Wollaston wrote to me when I was at Deal where the Acalles roboris is plentiful asking me to observe whether this little sp.^c was musical— I obtained about 20— I had to place them in a small pill box—then shake them up—and on applying the box to my ear—their music was distinctly audible— I tried—various experiments placing 6. 4. 3. 2. 1 in the box— the single beetle was very difficult to hear— the tone was shrill but very low but I did hear it— the tone was produced by rubbing the abdomen against the elytra—there being a very smooth space on which -it operated— Wollaston has described it in his paper

I shall probably see you soon when I might be able to say more— next week I shall I expect be in the Isle of Wight

Yours very truly | Fred^k. Smith