222 



Lampteid^. INSECTS. Lvcid.e. 



fig. 9, while others are natives of Australia— one being 

 the pleasing black, R. jnt/stacina, prettily dotted with 

 white. 



Of the family Cyphonid^ there are twelve British 

 species. Some of them can jump, such as Scirtcs. 



Family— LA MPYRIDJ3 {Glow-Worms). 



The phosphorescent organs of the Glow-worms and 

 Fireflies are made up of a mass of spherical cells, filled 

 with a finely-granular substance, and surrounded by 

 many trachean branches. This substance, if sub- 

 stance it can be called, by daylight has a pale-yellow 

 appearance. In the Larapyrida; it fills a portion of 

 the abdominal cavity, and shines on the lower surface 

 of the last abdominal segments through the very thin 

 skin which covers them. Spallanzani regarded the 

 luminous matter as a compound of hydrogen and car- 

 buretted hydrogen gas. Some philosophers, from Dar- 

 win to Morren, refer the light to the slow combustion of 

 some combination of phosphorus, secreted by an appro- 

 priate organization in organs remarkably rich in tracheje, 

 and entering into combination with the o.xygen supplied 

 in respiration. l\Iatteucci made many experiments on 

 the luminosity of the Italian glow-worm. From his 

 researches it would appear that the phosphorescent sub- 

 stance burns by means of the oxygen in the tracheas, 

 without any indication of the presence of phosphorus.* 

 The luminous substance continues to shine when de- 

 tached from the insect, but loses its luminous properties 

 after a few minutes. In the Glow-worm the light is 

 not brilliant in the female, and its chief purpose seems 

 to be to conduct the se.xes to each other. 



There are two British Lampyrida, both feeding in 

 the larva state on snails and other raollusca — Lanqii/ri:^ 

 noctiluca and DrUus flavescens, described further on. 

 The Pygolarnpsi xanthophotis is found about Bluefields 

 in May, and is conspicuous for the intensity of its light. 

 Sometimes it is only the last segment but two tliat 

 chows luminosity ; but, when it is excited, the whole end 

 of the abdomen seems to be lighted up with a dazzling 

 glare. Mr. Gosse gave the species the name of 

 Xanthophotis or yellow light, from the rich orange 

 colour of its light when seen abroad ; when viewed in 

 the light of a candle it appears yellow. The light is 

 intermittent. Mr. Gosse has seen a specimen of this 

 attracted by the glow of a stationary Photuris versi- 

 color, fly up and play around it, " when the inter- 

 mingling of the green and orange rays had a charming 

 appearance." He describes tlie versicolor as being 

 noticeable by its frequent resting on a leaf or a twig in 

 the woods, " when it will gradually increase the inten- 

 sity of its light till it glows like a torch ; then it gradu- 

 ally fades to a spark and becomes quite extinct ; it 

 (bus remains imseen for some time, but in about a 

 minute, or it may be two, it will begin to appear, and 

 gradually increase to its former blaze, then fade again, 

 strongly reminding the beholder of a revolving light at 

 sea."| 



* See Siebold's Anatomy of the Invertebr.ita, by Eurnett- 

 p. 446. 



t Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica, ji. 104. 



Sonthey, in his " Madoc," thus poetically alludes to 

 the fireflies of South America ; — 



" Sorrowing we beheld 

 The night come on ; but soon did night display 

 More wonders than it veiled ; innumerous tribes 

 From the wood-cover swarmed, and darkness mado 

 Their beauties visible ; one wiiile they streamed 

 A bright blue radiance upon flowers which closed 

 Their gorgeous colours from the eye of day; 

 Now, motionless and dark, eluded search. 

 Self-shrouded ; and anon, starring the sky. 

 Rose like a shower of iire." 



The Lamprocera Latreillei is a fine large Brazilian 

 species described by Kirby (Plate 2, fig. 10). The 

 South American species of Lampyridte are very fine. 

 The antenna; in other allied genera are very remark- 

 able, as in Megalopthahmis Benndii of G. R. Gray. 



Family— LYCID^. 



Of the family Lycid^ one is figured — the Lycus 

 ap2]eiuliculatus — an African species. Many of the 

 African LrciDyE have strangely expanded elytra, espe- 

 cially in the males. Some of the South American 

 Lyci are most exquisitely coloured — reddish yellow. 



Fig. 103. 



Fig. 106. 



Lycus appeiidicuHtus. 



Larva of Drilu 



and barred with dark steel-blue. On Plate 2, fig. 4, is 

 figured the Homalisus siduralis. Of British Lycidm 

 there are but two species, belonging to the genus Dic- 

 tyoplerus ; one of these is the rare D. Aurora. 



Long ago a foreign naturalist found a queer, hairy, 

 flat grub feeding on the soft body of a snail ; be named 

 the creature Cochleoctontis vorcix, the " Voracious 

 Snail-killer," as the name may be translated into plain 

 English. Another naturalist was able to find this queer 

 deformed creature mated with a little, pretty, softish 

 beetle, with elytra and very pretty antenna;, ■wliieh 

 naturalists had long known as the Drilus flavescens. 

 The female appears to be rarely met with in this 

 country. 



There is figured here the larva of a species of Drilug 

 found in Algeria, and described by M. Lucas in his 

 great w'ork on that possession of the French (fig. IOC). 

 It lives in the shell of a species of Cyclostonia, a circular- 

 mouthed genus of shells, and eats the animal of the 

 said shell. 



The male of Drilus flavescens (Coleopt. — Plate 2, 

 fig. 3) may be procured by brushing herbage in aban- 

 doned chalk pits in Kent, about Dartford orGravesend. 

 It would be well if some one were to collect a great 

 number of snails and keep them during the winter. 

 In early spring it is more than probable that careful 



