TROPIC FIRE-FLIES. 165 



than the introduction, "all alive," of the lantern-carriers/* 

 would be that of the beautiful fire-fliesf so abundant in the 

 West Indies and South America. Ocular demonstration is 

 not indeed, in their case, wanted for the purpose of throwing 

 light on the matter of their own effulgence, on which not a 

 shadow of obscurity exists ; but since not merely to introduce, 

 but also to naturalize them would seem no Utopian project, it 

 were well worth the trial, for the sake of throwing tropic radi- 

 ance on our native landscapes. These brilliant foreigners being 

 natives also of Canada and the Yaudois, where the winters are 

 so rigorous, there seems the less reason why they should not 

 be acclimated to Britain. 



A gentlemanj attempting to introduce them from the Baha- 

 mas, kept them on the voyage, from June to September, feed- 

 ing them on the juice from sugar-canes, which they broke to 

 obtain. The supplying their cages with damp moss, or their 

 daily immersion in cold water, has been recommended for their 

 preservation, by affording a substitute for the moisture of the 

 damp meadows which are their favourite localities. 



The great lantern-flies spoken of above, belong to that 

 order of insects termed Hemi/pUra, being allied, unlike as they 

 may seem, to bugs, boat-flies, and water-scorpions; but the 

 fire-fly of the tropics, our present subject, being of the order 

 Coleqptera, is a beetle. By day, as sombre and dull-looking 

 a little animal as any to be seen ; shape, longish ; colour, 



* Fulgorce. t Elaterida;. \ Mr. Lees. 



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