ORDER I.—BEETLES. ol 
eyed, because each side of its thorax is ornamented with a 
large circular black spot, which looks like an eye. But as 
its eyes are in its head, like all the others, I have thought 
best to give it a more correct English name, and accord- 
ingly, from the resemblance of its spots to velvet, I call it 
the Velvet-spotted Spring Beetle. 
This Beetle is seen in all the States of the Union, but 
more in the South than at the North. It is found mostly 
in the trunks of trees, where its larve also reside. The 
larve have flat bodies, of an orange color, and they live 
several years in this condition before they become perfect 
Beetles. 
The Ligutnine Spring Beette (Elater noctilucus) is an- 
other species of the same ‘genus, 
Figure 12. 
ny 
and has a far more appropriate 
Latin name, noctilucus, or night- 
illuminating, but its common 
name in English is the Cucujo. 
This insect is nearly an inch and 
a half long, and half an inch wide. 
It has two yellow, elevated, corn- 
like spots upon each side of the 
thorax, which are the principal 
organs for emitting light, and 
Ai 
ls 
Vn 

P ° . Lightning Spring Beetle. 
which appear, when alive, like Benn ganas 
two shining emeralds. But besides these spots, it also 
emits light from every segment of the under side of its 
hind body. This light the animal can produce at pleas- 
ure, and when there are eight or ten of them in one glass, 
it is strong enough to enable a person to read by it. 
Some months since a lady presented me two of these liv- 
ing Lightning Beetles, which she had received from Cuba. 
I kept them in a glass, and exhibited them in a dark room 
to several of my friends, who were much astonished and 
delighted at being able to see to read by the light issuing 
