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somewhat yellowish, and very elegantly varied with 

 brown undulations and spots : the lower pair are deco- 

 rated by a large eye-shaped spot, the iris or fringe of 

 the spot being red, and the centre half red and half 

 transparent white : the head or lantern is a pale yellow, 

 with longitudinal stripes. Such is a description of this 

 beautiful insect, thus quaintly expressed by Dr. Grew * : 

 " It is about three inches long, and thick as the 

 ring finger ; the eyes, for bignesse of his body, very 

 small, of a dusky colour, yet glossy and spherical, 

 looking just like two brown seed pearls ; under these 

 stand two small round parts, open at top, which seem 

 to be the roots of a pair of horns, unless any will 

 conceit them to be his eyes. That which beside the 

 figure of the head is most wonderful in this insect, is 

 the shining property of the same part, whereby it looks 

 in the night like a little lanthorne (lamphorne), so that 

 two or three of these, fastened to a stick, or otherwise 

 conveniently disposed of, will give sufficient light to 

 those that travail or walk in the night." The lantern-fly 

 is a native of Surinam, and many other parts of South 

 America, and during night diffuses so powerful a light 

 that it is often employed by the negroes to conduct 

 them on their way ; indeed, from the intense heat of . 

 the day, travelling by night in the Brazils, &c. becomes 

 an object of necessity as well as of choice. The Chevalier 

 de Mascarenhas informs us that it is common in such 

 cases for the negro attendants to cut down sticks from 

 the bamboo or orange trees, and attaching a few of 

 these interesting insects to the tip of the staff, the illu- 

 mination thus obtained, when carried before the party, 

 yields quite sufficient light for their guidance; that 



* " Catalogue of Natural and Artificial Rarities," &c. Lon- 

 don, folio, 1685. p. 158. 



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