OF THE GLOWWORM (LAMPYEIS NOCTILUCA). 59 



inclined to regard as the proper saliva of these insects. At one 

 time I thought I had detected two poison-glands, in the form of 

 two sacculated salivary vessels, in the perfect female glowworm, 

 but I was not able to confirm this dissection in other instances. 

 It is not improbable that the fluid exuded by the mouth may be 

 secreted by the stomach ; as in one instance, while a larva was 

 attacking a large snail, I observed that its mouth was flowing with 

 a blackish fluid .which it subsequently regurgitated in considerable 

 quantity. It was similar in appearance to the fluid ejected from 

 the salivary glands or the stomach by the larva and imago Carabi ; 

 and it seems probable therefore that the fluid of the Lampyris is 

 of the same kind. 



That the effect of the bite on the snail was not simply that of 

 mechanical injury, I am of the same opinion as my friend above 

 quoted, since, like him, I struck several snails through in every 

 part with a needle, and wounded them ostensibly far more severely 

 than did the larva ; and yet they appeared not to suffer half so 

 much inconvenience, nor give -evidence of agony by their peculiar 

 contortions, but moved away with as much activity as before: 

 their movements were not in the slightest degree impeded. One 

 snail, which I repeatedly struck through the head and neck, and 

 impaled on the table, seemed quite unaffected when released, and 

 appeared, if there was indeed any difference in its speed, to move 

 a little quicker. Even although I pierced this specimen through 

 the head twice, close to the cerebral ganglion, it did not appear to 

 be seriously injured : it withdrew for an instant within its shell? 

 but soon came forth again and moved away with as much ease and 

 speed as before, and was alive and apparently quite well on the 

 following day. Another and much larger snail, pierced twice 

 through the stomach and head, crawled away as readily as when 

 uninjured ; but when this same specimen was afterwards bit once 

 by a larva which was only of moderate size, the snail withdrew 

 into its shell, and was completely dead within two hours. 



Although the mechanical injury inflicted by myself on this last 

 snail had not produced any marked result, the effect from the bite 

 of the larva of the glowworm was instantaneous, and reminded me 

 strongly of the action of some deadly poison injected into the body 

 of a vertebrated animal, as that of the viper, &c, only that it was 

 more rapid and approximative to the effect of an electric shock. 



The repetition, extension, and variation of the experiments of 

 Professor Ellis prove : — 



That the single bite of a larva of the glowworm will infallibly 



