THE GLOW-WORM. 207 



j -- ..--- 



Description Each sex luminous. 



conceals himself in some neighbouring crevice ; 

 but, if not lucky enough to find one, the other 

 returns to the attack, takes the insect by the 

 head, and tears it off. 



THE GLOW-WORM. 



THE female is (which is uniisua* in animals) 

 larger than the male glow-worm: their heads are 

 of the same shape, and equally concealed by the 

 plate of the thorax. The principal difference 

 between the sexes is that the abdomen of the 

 male is covered with brown wing cases, sha- 

 greened, and marked longitudinally with two 

 lines: these are longer than the abdomen. The 

 female is wingless. Each sex is luminous, but 

 in the male the light is less brilliant, and confined 

 to four points, two of which are situated on each 

 of the two last rings of the abdomen. Among 

 the crooked lanes, in every hedge, the glow- 

 worm lights his gem, and, through the dark, a 

 moving radiance twinkles. 



These insects are frequently met with towards 

 evening in the month of June, in woods and 

 meadows, and the bottoms of hedges. The uti- 

 lity of the bright light of the females is supposed 

 to consist in attracting the attention of the males 

 during the dark, when, alone, they are able to 

 render themselves conspicuous. They always 

 become much more lucid when they put them- 

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