Mr. Rennio on the Cleanliness of Animals. 19 



voluminous work of Baron de Geer, I found it was accurately 

 described and figured by him as the grub (larva) of the female 

 glow-worm, (Lampyris noctiluca ;) but though he had bred 

 several of these, he does not seem to have observed their sin- 

 gular mode of cleaning themselves, which I have just described. 

 He was also unsuccessful in discovering their peculiar food. * I 

 know not,' says he, ' what it eats ; but the form of its teeth 

 would make me suppose it to be carnivorous. It lived with 

 me on moist earth, where I 'strewed grass and the leaves of 

 various plants; having remarked that it became feeble and 

 languishing when I failed to supply it with moisture*. 1 



Two of the most celebrated French naturalists of the present 

 day make a similar statement respecting its food. ' It is be- 

 lieved,' says Dumeril, ' that the glow-worms are carnivorous 

 in the perfect state, but that their grubs (larva) feed on vege- 

 tables what, is unknown f.' ' This grub,' says Latreille, 

 * though furnished with strong jaws, (which would indicate 

 that it is carnivorous,) feeds upon grass, and leaves of various 

 plantsj ;' but I doubt whether this is not a hasty and un- 

 warrantable inference from De Geei*. 



The actual food of the grub in question shews, in a very 

 striking point of view, the design of Providence in furnishing 

 it with the instrument which I have described. I was not a 

 little surprised one day to observe the creature moving about 

 with one of the little snail-shells on its head, and could not 



Larva feeding on a small snail. 



* De Geer, Mem. Insectes, vol. iv., p. 48. 

 f Diet, des Sciences Naturelles, vol. xxv., p. 21 

 Nouvcau Diet, d'Histoire. Naturclle, vol. xvii., 284. 



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