LIGHT OF LANTERN-FLY. 163 



nothing. Madame Merian is not, it is true, quite so celebrated 

 for the Dutch accuracy of her pen, as for the fidelity display- 

 ed, with few exceptions, by her pencil ; but one can hardly 

 suppose that that ingenious and indefatigable lady was deceiv- 

 ed herself, or meant to deceive her readers, by mere ignes fatui, 

 in the following often-quoted description of her first acquaint- 

 ance with the light of the Fulgorce. 



" Once/' says she, "when the Indians brought me a num- 

 ber of these lantern-carriers, I put them in a wooden box 

 without being aware of their shining at night, but being 

 awakened by an unusual noise (probably their singing), and 

 being much frightened, I jumped out of bed, and ordered a 

 light, not knowing whence the sound proceeded. We soon 

 discovered that its origin was in the box, which we opened 

 with some degree of fear, and were still more alarmed, even 

 to letting it fall, when there appeared to issue from it a flame 

 which seemed to receive additional lustre as often as another 

 insect flew out." 



Donovan's minute description and figure of the Eed-tipped 

 lantern-fly* of Hindostan, would appear to leave even less 

 room for disbelief as to the lumen of this creature's fiery pro- 

 boscis, a Bardolphian nose giving it a just title to be regarded, 

 amongst insects, as, verily, a true "Knight of the burning 

 lamp." Our author says of a specimen in his own possession, 

 that " its large, dark purple trunk is sprinkled with spots of 



* Fulgora pyrorJiynchus. Donovan's ' Insects of India.' 



