126 NATURAL HISTORY. [CH. VII. 



thorax is said to be sufficient for a person to read 

 the smallest print, by moving one of them, when 

 placed between the fingers with the light down 

 wards, along the line ; and, when several are put 

 together in a glass or transparent tube, the light 

 will be found sufficiently great to admit of writing 

 by it. These singular creatures have doubtless lent 

 a friendly light to many a tropical wanderer. No 

 doubt the brilliancy of the spectacle alone is suffi- 

 cient to raise the despondent spirit of a person who 

 has lost his track in one of the deep American 

 forests. Their splendour has been mentioned in 

 the following words : " I could not but admire the 

 thousands and tens of thousands of fireflies that 

 spangled the gulf below, a tiny galaxy; they did 

 not twinkle promiscuously, but seemed to emit their 

 small green light by signals, beginning at the head 

 of the ravine, and glaring all the way down in a 

 wavy, continuous, lambent flash; every fly, as it 

 were, taking the time from its neighbour ahead; 

 then, for a moment, all would be dark, until the 

 stream of sparkles flowed down once more from the 

 head of the valley, and again disappeared astern of 

 us." We are informed that these insects were for- 

 merly used by the Indians as lamps, so that they 

 were enabled to perform their evening household 

 works, to spin, weave, paint, dance, &c., by their 

 light, as well as for the purpose of lighting them on 

 their nocturnal hunting and fishing expeditions; 

 when employed for the latter, one of them was tied 

 to each of their feet. 



They are also used by the Indians, by whom these 

 insects are denominated cucuji, for the purpose of 

 destroying the gnats or moschetoes in their abodes, 

 which would become otherwise excessively trouble- 

 some. When required for this occupation, it be- 

 comes necessary for the Indians to place them- 

 selves on some eminence, with a lighted firebrand 

 in their hands, which they wave about in the air ; 



