106 



ON THE LUMINOSITY 



Here, then, is nothing about entangling the bird in the web ; 

 and I conceive slie has a right to retort upon her accusers. 

 Her account I think rational ; and that so powerful an insect 

 as she describes, when pressed by hunger, should attack the 

 nest of the humming-bird, is, in my opinion, by no means 

 improbable. That the old, or parent bird, would not become 

 its prey, is likely ; but what resistance could a brood of young 

 ones make in the absence of the parent bird? Litde or none, 

 I expect, will be allowed ; and, therefore, under these circum- 

 stances, I see no reason to doubt her statement. 



Now as to the fire-fly : any person reading her account of it, 

 will readily perceive, that as to the larva of the insect, she writes 

 in doubt ; and, consequently, with ambiguity. Her words are 

 as follows : — 



** Les Indiens ont voulu me persuader que de ces mouches, 

 provenoient les ' Lantarendragers' ou * Portes-Lanterne,' qui 

 sont tels que j'ai ici represente," &c. 



Further on, she says, it is true : 



" Je conserve une de ces mouches, qui est prete a se trans- 

 former : elle a conserve toute la forme d'une mouche, n'ayant 

 pas meme change ses ailes ; mais cette vessie, dont j'ai parle, 

 lui a crue a la tete," &c. 



Here it is pretty evident she may be at fault, and confound- 

 ing the larva of the one with the other. 



In describing the perfect insect, however, she is clear and 

 distinct ; and its very local name (in my opinion, one of the 

 strongest proofs of her correctness,) bears her out in her state- 

 ment. In truth, a person reading her history of the insect, 

 must feel it was next to impossible for her to make a mistake, 

 unless it was a wilful one. To do so, she apparently could 

 have no object ; therefore, until the author of the Letters of 

 Delta brings forward something like clear and distinct proofs 

 of her inaccuracy, I shall vote for the support of the poor 

 slandered fire-fly. 



Mr. Walker. — Mr. Chairman, I shall beg leave to address 

 a few words to you in support of the motion of the author of 

 the Delta Letters. Many kinds of Fulgora inhabit Africa and 

 Asia. F. candelaria is very abundant in China ; and it is next 

 to impossible, that their luminosity, if real, would have escaped 

 the notice of the European residents, or that the natives would 

 not have alluded to it by giving the insects some significant 



