166 NATURAL HISTORY OP 



was unable to succeed in his object, until he learned 

 from a lady, that the cage containing the insects 

 should be daily immersed in cold water. This is 

 rendered necessary from their natural habitation 

 being in swampy meadows, where, during the day, 

 they probably lie concealed in the wet herbage. 

 Perhaps the introduction of damp moss into the cage 

 (which ought to be made of wood, and not glued 

 together) might be more natural and salutary to the 

 insects. The Elaters feed upon the sugar-cane, and 

 should the larvae do so likewise, which is more than 

 probable, from their being xylophagous, they must 

 do incredible mischief to the planters, as they are 

 produced in abundance in the West Indian islands, 

 and are very generally distributed over them. Mr 

 Lees having taken some sugar-cane to sea with him 

 to feed the beetles upon, he observed that they 

 readily broke the wood away with their mandibles 

 to obtain the saccharine matter on which they fed ; 

 and after his stock was consumed, he gave them 

 brown sugar, by which means they were kept alive 

 the whole of their voyage, from June to the middle 

 of September. 



" The insect, when roused and in perfect vigour, 

 seems to be completely saturated with the luminous 

 secretion, since the back, when the elytra and wings 

 are expanded, has a phosphoric appearance ; and 

 there is a strong light at the base of the abdomen, 

 where the posterior coxae are attached, which being 

 apparent only in some, I thought might be peculiar 



