INSECT LAMPLIGHTERS 241 



before nor since have I witnessed such remarkable 

 insect lamplighting as on that occasion. 



It is the female alone who possesses the power of 

 emitting the light so closely associated with the 

 life-history of this insect. It should be stated, 

 however, that the grub is also luminous and feeds 

 upon Snails. Whilst the female is wingless, a 

 soft, flat, dull-black-coloured flexible creature, 

 grub-like in appearance, the male possesses wings 

 and wing-covers. 



This is a nocturnal insect, and whilst the male 

 takes wing — and sometimes portrays a couple 

 of faintly luminous spots — the female remains 

 in her hedgerow fastness, and by means of her 

 lamplighting attracts the male insect to the spot 

 where she remains secreted. The curious lamp 

 carried by the female Glow Worm is borne upon 

 patches of skin along the sides of the body. While 

 it seems admitted that the light is undoubtedly 

 an attraction and guiding signal for the male, 

 much speculation is still rife as to the exact use of 

 the phosphorescence possessed by this and other 

 animals. The luminosity of insects in parti- 

 cular is imperfectly understood, and there is a 

 wide field for research and observation in this 

 respect that might well engage the attention of 

 the young entomologist. 



The eyes of the male insect are, it should be 

 noted, well developed. Such being the case, it 



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