36 



night we saw its beautiful light illuminating every 

 object within a small space around it. 



When I saw the glow-worm shining on its 

 mossy banks 4 I amused myself in imagining how 

 many other living creatures were perhaps lighted 

 by its soft beams. The various beetles, which 

 seem at all hours running to and fro ; the slugs, 

 which are for ever in one's path ; and the nu- 

 merous family of spiders, who are so industrious, 

 that they must, I suppose, work "by midnight 

 lamps." The moth tribe, also, who seem to love 

 light only at night, can please themselves at this 

 little lamp, without injuring their delicate wings ; 

 and I must not forget the little airy beings, of 

 whose histories I am so fond the fairies who 

 say so prettily 



And when the moon doth hide her head, 

 The glow-worm lights us home to bed. 



Frederick and I were devising various ex- 

 pedients for making the light of the glow-worms 

 and fire-flies useful ; when Mary, who heard us, 

 told me that at Cape Comorin there are certain 

 birds that build pendulous nests; and that it is a 

 fact that these nests are lighted, at night, by fire- 

 flies: the bird fastens a bit of clay to the top 

 of the nest, and sticks a fire-fly on the clay, as 

 if to illuminate the dwelling, which consists of 

 two chambers ; but the real object is, probably, 

 to deter the bats from approaching, as they kill 



