When Darkness has fallen. 115 



fishing and hunting expeditions make torches of 

 them by fastening several together. The same 

 people have a summer festival at which the 

 garments of the young people are covered with 

 fireflies, and being mounted on fine horses 

 similarly ornamented, the latter gallop through 

 the dusk, the whole producing the effect of a 

 large moving light. 



Another phosphorescent little creature found 

 commonly in Britian is a centipede with the 

 expressive name Geophilus electricus. This 

 is a tiny living light which shows its luminous 

 qualities in a remarkable and interesting fashion. 

 It may not uncommonly be seen on field and 

 garden paths, and leaves a lovely train of phos- 

 phorescent fire as it goes. This silvery train 

 glows in the track of the insect, sometimes 

 extending to twenty inches in length. In 

 addition to this, its phosphorescence is exhibited 

 by a row of luminous spots on each side its 

 >ody, and these points of pale fire present quite 

 pretty sight when seen under favourable 

 jircumstances. It has been stated that the 

 light-giving quality of the fireflies might be de- 

 signed to serve them to see by ; but this fails to 

 apply to the little creature under notice, as it is 

 without eyes. 



There are still other British insects which have 

 the repute of being phosphorescent, although the 

 evidence is not yet quite satisfactory. Among 



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