TROPIC FIRE-FLIES. 339 



abundant in the south of Europe, as well as in Asia and some 

 parts of Africa. The Greeks included all shining insects under 

 the name Lampyris, and the Latins called them Cicindela, 

 Noctiluca, and Lucciola, under which latter designation the 

 flying glowworms are still known in Italy. 



With the Fulgora, or lantern-flies, the ancients are thought 

 to have had no acquaintance, for, though Asia produces a few 

 species of them, the most remarkable are peculiar to the 

 warmest parts of America. 



The great lantern-flies spoken of above belong to that order 

 of insects termed Hemiptera, being allied, unlike as they may 

 seem, to bugs, boat-flies, and water-scorpions ; but the fire-fly 

 of the tropics, being of the order Coleoptera, is a beetle. By 

 day, as sombre and dull-looking a little animal as any to be 

 seen ; shape, longish ; colour, blackish brown. When at rest, 

 or walking, it is content with the display of only two lights, 

 emitted from a pair of lamps, or yellow tubercles, placed on 

 either side the chest ; but when, with wings extended, it shoots 

 across the dusky sky, another luminary, also in the thorax, but 

 seated further back, is rendered visible. 



Though we have none of these fire-flies, as yet, in England, 

 we have certain insects of the same family, which in all, save 

 luminosity, greatly resemble them. These are the very common 

 longish brown beetles, known familiarly as " spring and click 

 beetles," also " skip-jacks " names expressive of their power, 

 when laid upon their backs, of springing or leaping into the air, 

 with a clicking sound. 



Our readers, as we hope, all know by this time, that every 

 beetle has been in its time a grub or larva. They have all 

 heard, too, most likely, of that farmer's terror, the destructive 

 wire-worm ; but to some, even amongst farmers, it may possibly 

 be a piece of information that this wire- worm is none other than 

 the beetle grub, and the grub, moreover, of such, a beetle as the 

 click, or skip-jack, an Elater, 1 nearly resembling the tropic 



1 See Vignette. 



