Hudson. — On New Zealand Glow-worms. 63 



in a somewhat more extended form. But in order that my 

 remarks may be better understood, I will commence by stating 

 that the Staph ijlinidcB are one of the most well-marked families 

 of the Coleoptera, being none other than the famous Cocktail 

 or Eove Beetles ; their larvse are furnished with six strong 

 thoracic legs, a lai'ge head, and powerful mandibles, thus 

 differing, as will be seen, in the widest possible manner from 

 the insect under review. 



Everyone who has walked in the bush at night, or, indeed, 

 along any road at the bottom of a steep gully, cannot fail to 

 have noticed the little points of light, mentioned as occurring in 

 such vast numbers by Mr. Meyrick. I have not yet, however, 

 seen 50 to the square foot of surface, although perhaps others 

 may have been more fortunate ; but, in my case, I should 

 regard 20 of these little stars visible from one standpoint as 

 iudicatmg an exceptionally wealthy region. 



When carefully examined witla a bull's-eye lantern and pocket 

 lens, this light is found to proceed from a large glutinous knob, 

 situated at the posterior extremity of the larva, a fact I have 

 verified by repeated investigations : but the insect's curious 

 habit of occasionally travelling backwards has doubtless led to 

 this mistake. It inhabits irregular cavities in the bank, where 

 it hangs suspended in a glutinous web, which also appears to 

 envelope the body, large quantities of sticky mucus being 

 periodically shot out of the mouth of the larva, and formed into 

 threads as required ; but I have never seen anything like a net 

 extended in front of the insect, neither have I found flies or 

 gnats detained in the webs, although I have examined a large 

 number. At the back of this irregular chamber the larva con- 

 structs a small hole, into which it retreats with great rapidity 

 when alarmed. 



With regard to its food, I am unable to speak with absolute 

 certainty on this point at present, but have little doubt that it 

 consists of decaying vegetable matter. One individual I kept 

 alive for eight weeks was enclosed in a small jar of mud, taken 

 from his native bank, and placed in a caterpillar cage, where no 

 flies or other small insects could possibly be obtained ; as, how- 

 ever, there were some small earthworms in the mud, it might 

 have subsisted on these, although I examined the insect nearly 

 every night and morning and never saw it eat anything. 



The light is not shown by any means regularly. On several 

 occasions I have observed no light all the evening, and then a 

 brilliant display at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, but have not 

 noticed any peculiar meteorological conditions to affect this. 

 As to its use, I do not think that Mr. Meyrick's explanation can 

 be entertained, as I am sure everyone who has attracted insects 

 at night will know how utterly inadequate such a minute point 

 of light would be to draw them from the shortest distance. If 



