PHOSPHORESCENOE, 76 
Luminous Mosses—a somewhat doubtful phenomenon, as I will 
endeavour to point out further on. 
Phosphorescence in Flowers. Linnzus’ daughter, on a hot 
Summer evening, saw beautiful flashes of light from the 
(TRop#oLuM Masus) the ordinary Nasturtium. The same 
phenomenon has been observed in several other plants, 
some of them being HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (the common sun- 
flower), Liz1uM BULBIFERUM (orange lily), and CaLENDULA 
OrrictnaLis (Marigold), also in the hairy, red poppy 
(PAPaVER PILOSUM). 
Decaying animal matter. 
Falling rain, waterspouts, and in showers of meteoric dust. 
PHOoSPHORESCENCE IN Livine THines.—For beauty and brilliancy 
the Fireflies—especially in their tropical varieties— come easily first. 
Objects which, as found in South America, are so lovely, that the 
glades and paths of forests are lighted by them, and with different 
shades of colour too. The splendid lantern fly (FuLGoRA pyrorHYNCUs) 
shews a fine purple light from its long curved proboscis (Emery). 
The Italian Firefly (Lvcrona Irauica), of which both male and female 
are luminous, shews a blue light. Other species shew orange-coloured 
light. The little firefly, relatively common on the Continent in the 
summer months, shows a bluish-green or greenish-yellow light very 
much like the ordinary glow-worm to which it is so closely related ; 
in this case, as with the glow-worm, the light proceeds from the 
abdominal region. The Mexican Fireflies have a pair of organs in 
the thorax and one in the abdomen, whilst the beautiful Cucuso or 
Firefly of Brazil, displays a bright emanation from two patches at the 
base of the thorax, and when the wings are opened, two more are 
displayed, the whole interior of the body appearing to be incandes- 
cent—a lovely living jewel. 
The Glow-worm (FAM. TELEPHORID# SUB-FAM. LAMPYRIDES) 
occurs in great variety in nature, there being hundreds of species 
widely distributed, but occurring more particularly in warm countries. 
‘The commoner kinds are Lampyris NocTiLuca, our ordinary English 
