THE FIREFLY. 159 



does the absence of the feathered antennae detract from her 

 appearance. 



The colour of this fine Beetle is reddish brown, but there is a 

 difference between the thorax and elytra. The former looks 

 rather paler than it really is, because it is sprinkled with tiny, 

 very short, yellow hairs. These hairs are not thick enough to 

 constitute a downy coat, but are sufficiently plentiful to modify 

 the colour of the surface. The elytra are mahogany-red, and 

 each of them has three slight ridges extending throughout its 

 entire length. The insect was brought from the Philippines by 

 Mr. Cuming, whose exertions in the cause of science are of 

 world-wide reputation. 



Owing to the great size of this Beetle, the structure of the 

 leaping apparatus is beautifully shown ; and I should think that 

 as the elastic spike is quite as large as a crow-quill, and about 

 three-quarters of an inch in length, the leap which the insect 

 makes must be an enormous one, and the clicking sound pro- 

 portionately loud. 



The Elaterides are represented by an insect of universal 

 celebrity, the Firefly of the Tropics {Pyropl torus noctilucus). 



This wonderful insect has the power of emitting a powerful 

 greenish light from two oval spots, one on either side of the 

 thorax, together with a differently coloured light from the under 

 surface. The two luminous spots of the thorax are pale shining 

 yellow, and look very much as if a second pair of compound 

 eyes had been placed there. This light has been so admirably 

 described by Mr. Gosse in his " Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica," 

 that I cannot do better than quote his account : — 



" 1 will now speak of one other luminous insect, the Glow-fly 

 (Pyrophorus noctilucus). From February to the middle of sum- 

 mer this Beetle is common in the lowlands, and at moderate 

 elevations. Lacordaire's account of the luminosity of this 

 Elater (known to me, however, only by the citation in Kirby and 

 Spence's Introd. to Ent, ii. 333, 6th edit.) differs so greatly from 

 the phenomena presented by our Jamaica specimens, that 1 

 cannot help concluding that he has described an allied but very 

 distinct species, and I feel justified, therefore, in recording what 

 I have myself observed. 



" The Light from the two oval tubercles on the dorsal surface 



