Mr. P. H. Gosse on the Insects of Jamaica. 269 



which the two large ones above-named are conspicuous. I have 

 delighted to watch and study their habits in this lonely spot, 

 while the strange sounds, snorings, screeches, and ringings, of 

 nocturnal reptiles and insects, sounds unheard by day, were 

 coming up from every part of the deep forest around, giving an 

 almost unearthly character to the scene. 



Pygolampis xanthophotis is seen only in flight : its light is of 

 a rich orange-colour when seen abroad, but when viewed in the 

 light of a candle appears yellow. It is not of so deep a tint as 

 the abdominal light of Pyrophorus noctilucus. It is intermittent. 



Photuris versicolor is noticeable by its frequent resting on a 

 twig or leaf in the woods, when it will gradually increase the in- 

 tensity of its light till it glows like a torch ; then it gradually 

 fades to a spark, and becomes quite extinct : it thus remains un- 

 seen for some time, but in about a minute, or, it may be, two, it 

 will begin to appear, and gradually increase to its former blaze ; 

 then fade again ; strongly reminding the beholder of a revolving 

 light at sea. The light of this species is of a brilliant green hue. 

 I have seen a passing Pyg. xanthophotis, attracted by the glow 

 of a stationary Phot, versicolor, fly up and play around it ; when 

 the intermingling of the green and orange rays had the same 

 charming appearance as the two lights of Pyrophorus noctilucus 

 noticed in the preceding part of this memoir. 



The smaller species have, some yellow, some green light : I 

 have noticed only these two colours in the luminosity of such 

 Lampyridce as I have observed. 



Pygolampis xanthophotis, when held in the fingers, will fre- 

 quently illuminate the antepenultimate segment of the abdomen, 

 over which the light plays fitfully, sometimes momentarily 

 clouded, more or less, but generally saturated, as it were, with 

 most brilliant effulgence. This species occasionally comes in at 

 open windows at night, but much more rarely than Photuris ver- 

 sicolor and the smaller kinds, a dozen or more of which may be 

 seen almost every night, especially at Content, crawling up the- 

 walls or flitting around the room and beneath the ceiling. 



At Content, in the latter part of July, I found in fresh-turned 

 earth a larva of a Lampyris, small and lengthened : the abdomen 

 was furnished with a retractile brush of divergent filaments, or- 

 dinarily concealed ; but having no lens with me I could not ex- 

 amine it particularly. 



54. Nitidula (sp. nov.). Found with a Philonthus, rather 

 numerous, in the centre of decaying rose-apples {Eugenia jambos) 

 on the Hampstead Road in June. 



55. Dermestes lardarius. Probably introduced. Sadly abun- 

 dant in the skins of my preserved birds, at all times. 



56. Helops (sp. near celestinus). A single specimen found on 



