136 NATURAL ARRANGEMENT OF INSECTS. 



•wings we have the eye-like iridescent spot of the raso- 

 rial peacocks, as if Nature intended to show how beauti- 

 fully she could make a bird and an insect represent each 

 other. Gallinaceous birds, pachydermatous quadrupeds 

 (like the elephant), stag beetles {Lucanidce) among Co- 

 leoptera,sxe always the largest of their respective groups; 

 and consequently Fulgora, which represents all these, 

 is not only the largest of the moth cicadas, but is equal 

 in size to the most bulky of its own tribe. We had no 

 intention of touching upon this analogy, beautiful as it 

 is, but we recollected that some explanation was neces- 

 sary for deviating so much from the usual arrangement 

 of this group. The Fulgoree are called lantern flies; 

 and, if what has been said of them be correct, the name 

 is peculiarly appropriate. IMadame Merian, well known 

 for her work upon Surinam insects, relates an amusing 

 anecdote about the great lantern fly of that country. It 

 seems that she had caught several of these insects during 

 the day, when they emit no light; and being ignorant 

 of their possessing this property, she put them, with 

 some leaves, into a box, which was laid upon her bed- 

 room table. In the middle of the night, her captives, 

 finding themselves debarred from their usual nocturnal 

 excursions (for these insects repose during the day), 

 began to buzz about and made every effort to escape. 

 The noise thus produced awoke Mad. Merian, who, find- 

 ing it impossible to sleep with all this fluttering, got up 

 and opened the box to release her prisoners. What was 

 her surprise at seeing it filled, as she thought, with large 

 sparks of fire ! — in her momentary fright, she let the 

 whole fall to the ground : the insects, thus released, be- 

 gan flying about the room in all directions, like so many 

 moving candles. Our authoress goes on to state, that 

 by the aid of two of these living lights, she was able to 

 read the smallest print. Another conspicuous species, 

 F. Candelnria, although much inferior in size, is found 

 in India; but Europe possesses no such wonders. There 

 is, indeed, a small insect called Fulgora Europcea, but 

 which is of a different genus to the true lantern flies,— 



