192 JOURNAL, NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY OF SLAM Vol. I. 



and on the tliorax. This is an unusual type of illumination for 

 the Timnptjridae, but the genus Dioptoma is one of those of 

 rather doubtful S3'stematic position to wliich reference has been 

 made above. To this genus may possibly belong the undetermin- 

 ed Siamese female mentioned earlier, which, Mr. Gairdner informs 

 me, behaved in a very similar manner. 



The Fireflies of Southern Europe have been critically observed 

 by Emery {'^) and others, and onl}- this summer my frieiul Mr. Hugli 

 Main and I spent several evenings at Lugano watching the behaviour 

 of Jjuciula italica. In this species and its allies, both sexes are winged, 

 but all the specimens caught on the wing are found to be males. The 

 females closely resemble them, but are rather smaller and less parallel, 

 with the eyes very much smaller in proportion. Thej'^ are of a more 

 sluggish disposition, and are found lurking in the grass and low her- 

 bage. Very soon after sunset the lights of the flying males ma}' be 

 observed sparkling over the grass ; as it becomes darker a careful search 

 will probabh'- detect the fainter more continuous light of the female 

 close to the ground. If one of these be ^kept under observation, the 

 light will be found to disappear at intervals, then to shine again, some- 

 times continuously, sometimes with a flishing periodicity much slower 

 than that of the male. Wnile the light is shining, a passing male perceiv- 

 ing it will alter his course and fly down, alighting near the female; he 

 then approaches flishing vigorousl}', as if not quite sure of her exact 

 whereabouts, until he finds her, when the lights of both are extingui- 

 shed. Ev^en when one male is in attendance the female ma}' start 

 flashing again to attract another, and it is not uncomnion to find a 

 small group of miles gathered round one female. Though often ob- 

 served quite early in the evening we frequenth^ noticed that the lights 

 of the females were more numerous and brighter about 10 or 11 p.m. 

 when the lights of the males were becoming scarcer, as though the 

 females, despairing of attracting a mate, were becoming bolder in their 

 efforts. In this species as observed by us, there was no suggestion of 

 the svnchronous flashing in concert of large numbers of males that is 

 recorded of another i<]uropean species as well as of iiuuu-rous tropical 

 species both of the Old and New Worlds, and which is mentioned by 

 Mr. Gairdner as being very striking in the case of certain Siamese 

 species. 



(2) null. Sor. Knt. Itul. 188r>. ]!. 400. 



