The Glow- Worm 



very sharp and as thin as a hair. The micro- 

 scope reveals the presence of a slender 

 groove running throughout the length. And 

 that is all. 



The insect repeatedly taps the Snail's 

 mantle with its instrument. It all happens 

 with such gentleness as to suggest kisses 

 rather than bites. As children, teasing one 

 another, we used to talk of " tweaksies " to 

 express a slight squeeze of the finger-tips, 

 something more like a tickling than a serious 

 pinch. Let us use that word. In conver- 

 sing with animals, language loses nothing by 

 remaining juvenile. It is the right way for 

 the simple to understand one another. 



The Lampyris doles out his tweaks. He 

 distributes them methodically, without hurry- 

 ing, and takes a brief rest after each of 

 them, as though he wished to ascertain the 

 effect produced. Their number is not great: 

 half-a-dozen, at most, to subdue the prey and 

 deprive it of all power of movement. That 

 other pinches are administered later, at the 

 time of eating, seems very likely, but I can- 

 not say anything for certain, because the 

 sequel escapes me. The first few, however 

 — there are never many — are enough to 

 impart inertia and loss of all feeling to the 

 mollusc, thanks to the prompt, I might al- 

 5 



