14 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



THE LUMINOUS LARVA. 



Respecting our notice of this singular insect in our first number the Rev 

 J. Gr. Morris, D.D., df Baltimore, Md., writes as follows : — " Judging from 

 your description precisely a similar larva was brought to me a few years ago 

 for investigation. As it belonged to a public museum I could not retain it 

 for daily observation and feeding, neither had I time to go and watch its 

 habits. I presumed, however, that it was full fed and would soon change. 

 A few days after I weot to make enquiry and was told that the bottle with 

 earth had been thrown out, and on further asking they told me " the worm 

 wasn't there any longer ;" on pressing my questions the stupid fellow said 

 that " there was a ball of earth almost as round ss a marble, which he had 

 not seen before, in the glass jar, but not knowing what it was he had emptied 

 the whole concern into the street!" I have no doubt that the ball was the 

 work of the larva in which it had enclosed itself, but it was irrecoverably lost. 

 I made no description of the insect, but yours suits it precisely. Do the 

 Lampyridse cover themselves with dirt, as the Geotrupidss, for example, in 

 undergoing their transformation ? If so, then we have one presumptive proof 

 that the larva belonged to that family, but it is best not to be too rash in our 

 conclusions. I very much regret that I can give you no more satisfactory 

 information." 



A few days ago (Sept. 3) we had the great good fortune to find a wingless 

 female Fire-fly, whose tail segments were luminous. We must defer an 

 account of it for the present. 



NOTICE OF ENTOMOLOGICAL WORKS. 



The American Entomologist. Edited by B. D. Walsh and C. V. Riley. 



Published monthly by R. P. Studley & Co., 104 Olive Street, St. Louis, 



Mo. September, 1868. 



The first number of a new periodical on practical entomology, edited by 

 the State entomologists of Illinois and Missouri, is now before us. We gladly 

 welcome its advent as a worthy successor to our old friend the Practical 

 Entomologist, whose discontinuance was a source of much regret to us, and 

 trust that it may long continue to flourish as a worthy and useful exponent of 

 the true history and habits of the myriad insect friends and foes to the garden- 

 ers and farmers of this continent. Time was when to be an entomologist was 

 to render oneself a source of anxiety and care to one's friends, and an object 

 of pity or derision to one's neighbours ; but now, happily, people in general 

 are becoming rather more enlightened, and do not think that a man has a bee 

 in his bonnet because he catches butterflies ; is it because they find that 



