96 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



Black Sirex of Newfoundland (Sir ex Juvencus). Then, in 

 the evening, returning after dusk, I found among the grass 

 by the road-side, a flat grub, much resembling an Oniscus ; 

 from which proceeded a spark of greenish light, by which I 

 discovered it. I suppose it was the larva of our summer 

 fire-fly (Lampyris Corusca). 



C. Your speaking of fire-flies reminds me of a small 



Fulgora that I have lately taken (Otiocerus ?) ; our 



specimen, however, has none of that luminous radiance 

 which characterises the fine foreign species, the Peruvian and 

 Chinese Lantern-flies. It is a pretty little insect ; the head 

 is curiously elongated, the wings are very delicate, trans- 

 parent whitish, with a pink stripe through them ; but what 

 is most remarkable, the antennae are triple on each side. 



F. The ugly Black Crickets (Acheta Campeslris) now 

 begin to swarm about the fields, especially under stones : 

 except in colour, they strikingly resemble the house cricket. 

 We find many little frog-hoppers, with prominent thorax ; 

 but here is a singular species which I have just caught, 

 (Membracis Bettigera ?) having the thorax projecting like 

 a curved horn, far over the head. How wonderful the 

 variety in form alone, which appears in insects ! what 

 strange shapes, endlessly diversified, we see every day, 

 which would command our constant admiration, but that 

 their minuteness makes us in some measure blind to their pe- 

 culiarities ! Yet no variation of form is made, we may be 

 assured, without some determinate and wise purpose, not 

 only proposed, but effected. 



