ORDER II. BUGS. 73 



Mr. Westwood, in his " Introduction to the Modern 

 Classification of Insects," says, that of one hundred and 

 fifty species of Cicada contained in the lloyal Museum at 

 Berlin, seventy are from America, fifty from Africa, twen- 

 ty-five from Asia, including Java, ten from the south of 

 Europe, and six or eight from New Holland ; showing that 

 it is chiefly in the tropical parts of the world that the larg- 

 est and greatest number of species are found. 



The Indians of South America say and believe that the 

 Lyerman (Cicada tibiceri) is changed into the Lantern-fly 

 (Fulgora laternaria), whose cap, in the night, emits a light 

 similar to that of a lantern. 



I have several times spoken of the impostures to which 

 those are subjected who arc ignorant of Natural History. 

 There have been people who considered themselves well 

 educated, that have actually believed and circulated such 

 absurd fables as, c. g., that there are whole races of men 

 with tails like those of the monkey tribe, of Hottentot 

 women with natural aprons, of American Indians without 

 a beard, and of Sirens, Mermaids, and the like. In the 

 Natural History of Insects, too, marvelous stories are in- 

 troduced by travelers in foreign countries, who have im- 

 plicitly relied upon the reports of the ignorant natives, and 

 whose stories, however absurd, have gained credence. This 

 is the case with regard to the Lantern-fly, which is a native 

 of South America, but which from its bodily construction 

 belongs to the order we are now describing. This insect 

 is provided with a comparatively large bladder, which is 

 placed before its head, and from which, it is said, comes a 

 strong light, as bright as that of a candle. This lightning 

 story originated more than a century and a half ago, from 

 the work of the celebrated Madame Merian, who lived sev- 

 eral years in Surinam, and who says that one day the In- 

 dians brought her a large number of living Lantern-flies, 

 which she put into a box, but they made so much noise 



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