ORDER I. COLEOPTERA. 83 



ceased, another fixed and steady light appears, lasting 

 from 12 hours to 4 days.* 



The Devil's Coachhorse and other insects, have at 

 times caused some surprise by appearing luminous; 

 the light, however, in this case arising from their 

 having fed on, or crawled over some dead animal 

 matter in a phosphorescent state, particles of which had 

 remained attached to them. The Glowworm is the 

 only luminous insect known in England, and it is 

 worthy of note that it was capable of exciting Dr. 

 Johnson to write the only poem which is on record as 

 composed by him. 



Among the soft-bodied beetles are two common and 

 beautiful' little species, which may be found on the 

 blossoms of grass and elsewhere Malacbius ffineus 

 and bipustulatus. Both these are remarkable for a 

 series of bright scarlet tubercles which, inconspicuous at 

 other times, swell out from the sides of the thorax and 

 abdomen when the insect is alarmed or irritated, and 

 which have been happily termed " irritation bubbles." 

 The asneus is a dark green oblong beetle, about Jin. 

 long, with a long triangular patch of dull red on the fore 

 part of the elytra. The antenna of the male are curiously 

 formed, the third joint having a hook-like process, which 



Fig. 36. 



Antenna of Malachius seneus $. 



comes down over a projection of the second joint. Mala- 

 chius bipustulatus is a brighter and sometimes rather 

 brassy green, with a scarlet spot at the tip of each elytron. 



* Journal of Science and the Arts, vol. xvii. 269. 

 G 2 



