a name given to a small kind of beetle, Anobium tesselatum, remarkable for producing a ticking noise, like the beat of a watch, by striking its head with great force and quickness several times in succession against the plane of its position. These insects infest old houses, where they get into the wood. The ticking sound appears to be the signal-call of the sexes, and when no answer is returned, the insect repeats it in another place. The number of strokes is usually from seven to eleven. It appears to share this power of pulsation in common with some other insects. The name death-watch is derived from a prevalent superstition among ignorant people, that this ticking sound is a presage of death. See Anobium, in index to Entomology.