diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 236edf56b..074643e85 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -24,28 +24,27 @@ Create a *Historian* and send it *events* to generate an *event log*, where each
 is tagged with the historian's latest *hash*. Then ensure the order of events was not tampered
 with by verifying each entry's hash can be generated from the hash in the previous entry:
 
-![historian](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/55449/36492930-97a572be-16eb-11e8-8289-358e9507189e.png)
+![historian](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/55449/36499105-7c8db6a0-16fd-11e8-8b88-c6e0f52d7a50.png)
 
 ```rust
 extern crate silk;
 
 use silk::historian::Historian;
 use silk::log::{verify_slice, Entry, Event, Sha256Hash};
-use std::{thread, time};
+use std::thread::sleep;
+use std::time::Duration;
 use std::sync::mpsc::SendError;
 
 fn create_log(hist: &Historian) -> Result<(), SendError<Event>> {
-    hist.sender.send(Event::Tick)?;
-    thread::sleep(time::Duration::new(0, 100_000));
+    sleep(Duration::from_millis(15));
     hist.sender.send(Event::UserDataKey(Sha256Hash::default()))?;
-    thread::sleep(time::Duration::new(0, 100_000));
-    hist.sender.send(Event::Tick)?;
+    sleep(Duration::from_millis(10));
     Ok(())
 }
 
 fn main() {
     let seed = Sha256Hash::default();
-    let hist = Historian::new(&seed, None);
+    let hist = Historian::new(&seed, Some(10));
     create_log(&hist).expect("send error");
     drop(hist.sender);
     let entries: Vec<Entry> = hist.receiver.iter().collect();
diff --git a/diagrams/historian.msc b/diagrams/historian.msc
index 703c51bb2..ee67f49d1 100644
--- a/diagrams/historian.msc
+++ b/diagrams/historian.msc
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 msc {
   client,historian,logger;
 
-  client=>historian [ label = "Tick" ] ;
-  historian=>logger [ label = "Tick" ] ;
   logger=>historian [ label = "e0 = Entry{hash: h0, n: 0, event: Tick}" ] ;
   logger=>logger [ label = "h1 = hash(h0)" ] ;
   logger=>logger [ label = "h2 = hash(h1)" ] ;
@@ -13,8 +11,6 @@ msc {
   logger=>logger [ label = "h4 = hash(h3)" ] ;
   logger=>logger [ label = "h5 = hash(h4)" ] ;
   logger=>logger [ label = "h6 = hash(h5)" ] ;
-  client=>historian [ label = "Tick" ] ;
-  historian=>logger [ label = "Tick" ] ;
   logger=>historian [ label = "e2 = Entry{hash: h6, n: 3, event: Tick}" ] ;
   client=>historian [ label = "collect()" ] ;
   historian=>client [ label = "entries = [e0, e1, e2]" ] ;
diff --git a/src/bin/demo.rs b/src/bin/demo.rs
index 0799faa93..e4930521a 100644
--- a/src/bin/demo.rs
+++ b/src/bin/demo.rs
@@ -2,21 +2,20 @@ extern crate silk;
 
 use silk::historian::Historian;
 use silk::log::{verify_slice, Entry, Event, Sha256Hash};
-use std::{thread, time};
+use std::thread::sleep;
+use std::time::Duration;
 use std::sync::mpsc::SendError;
 
 fn create_log(hist: &Historian) -> Result<(), SendError<Event>> {
-    hist.sender.send(Event::Tick)?;
-    thread::sleep(time::Duration::new(0, 100_000));
+    sleep(Duration::from_millis(15));
     hist.sender.send(Event::UserDataKey(Sha256Hash::default()))?;
-    thread::sleep(time::Duration::new(0, 100_000));
-    hist.sender.send(Event::Tick)?;
+    sleep(Duration::from_millis(10));
     Ok(())
 }
 
 fn main() {
     let seed = Sha256Hash::default();
-    let hist = Historian::new(&seed, None);
+    let hist = Historian::new(&seed, Some(10));
     create_log(&hist).expect("send error");
     drop(hist.sender);
     let entries: Vec<Entry> = hist.receiver.iter().collect();
diff --git a/src/historian.rs b/src/historian.rs
index 09815790a..41843a3de 100644
--- a/src/historian.rs
+++ b/src/historian.rs
@@ -129,12 +129,11 @@ impl Historian {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
     use log::*;
+    use std::thread::sleep;
+    use std::time::Duration;
 
     #[test]
     fn test_historian() {
-        use std::thread::sleep;
-        use std::time::Duration;
-
         let zero = Sha256Hash::default();
         let hist = Historian::new(&zero, None);
 
@@ -168,4 +167,21 @@ mod tests {
             ExitReason::SendDisconnected
         );
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_ticking_historian() {
+        let zero = Sha256Hash::default();
+        let hist = Historian::new(&zero, Some(2));
+        sleep(Duration::from_millis(3));
+        hist.sender.send(Event::UserDataKey(zero)).unwrap();
+        sleep(Duration::from_millis(1));
+        drop(hist.sender);
+        assert_eq!(
+            hist.thread_hdl.join().unwrap().1,
+            ExitReason::RecvDisconnected
+        );
+
+        let entries: Vec<Entry> = hist.receiver.iter().collect();
+        assert!(verify_slice(&entries, &zero));
+    }
 }