OF THE GLOWWORM (LAMPYItIS NOCTILUCA). 45 



Within a very few seconds of the occurrence, the males became 

 most assiduous in their attention to the female, and one of them 

 was in contact in from ten to twelve minutes ; but it had not re- 

 mained longer than a minute when it was accidentally removed, 

 and the female instantly passed a single egg. Union was again 

 effected in an equally short length of time, but the female endea- 

 voured to escape, and did not receive the attention of the male as 

 might have been expected ; in a few minutes, however, she became 

 more quiet, and the male remained in contact. This second 

 attachment commenced at exactly sixteen minutes after six p.m. ; 

 and the temperature of the atmosphere was then 66° Fahr. in the 

 open air — the evening being moist but warm. The glowworms 

 continued in contact for fifteen minutes, when the female began 

 to crawl about, actively dragging after her the male, which main- 

 tained his attachment, though he lost it once for a few seconds ; 

 and while thus attached, the antennae of the male were thrown 

 backwards, and the head was drawn along under the thorax. The 

 sexes now continued united for an hour and a half, and then se- 

 parated naturally, the impregnation appearing to have been com- 

 plete. At fourteen minutes before eight p.m. I placed them in a box, 

 the bottom of which was covered with damp earth with a little 

 tuft of grass, for the purpose of observing the time and mode of 

 depositing the eggs. I now placed the vessel in the open air, 

 covered with a thin gauze net to prevent the escape of the insects ; 

 the female continued for nearly an hour to crawl about on the 

 grass and on the earth, still emitting her light, but with only 

 moderated brilliancy, while the male was concealed beneath the 

 grass and remained perfectly quiet as in repose. At five o'clock 

 on the following morning, when the temperature of the air was 

 about 60° Pahr., the female continued in motion with the male still 

 flitting about her, but the two were not in contact. I now exa- 

 mined the vessel and the tuft of grass very carefully, but no eggs 

 had yet been deposited. I then covered the vessel, so as to exclude 

 light as much as possible, and placed it in a dark room. At eleven 

 o'clock in the day, when the atmosphere was at 65° Fahr., the male 

 was still in occasional attendance on his partner, but no eggs had 

 yet been deposited by her. During the remainder of this day and 

 in the evening, the attention of the male was undiminished, but 

 on the following morning I found him dead. The female, how- 

 ever, did not begin to deposit her eggs until the next evening. 

 The conclusion to be drawn from this experiment seems to be, 

 that, though the female is impregnated at an early period after 



