202 [September, 



of an unctuous character, whilst the obnoxious fumes of the latter are 

 highly objectionable. As for alcohol, it is simply perfectly useless for 

 dissolving grease. 



Erom the above table it will be seen that chloroform is by far the 

 quickest solvent, and when to this it is added that it is non-inflammable, 

 one would naturally imagine that the ne plus ultra of perfection had 

 been reached ; but as has been previously remarked (ante p. 6) 

 rapidity of volatilization is a very important factor in restoring the 

 specimen to its original freshness, and this quality ether undoubtedly 

 possesses in the highest degree ; so that we may thus sum up their 

 relative merits — chloroform does its work more quickly, with less 

 waste, than ether, and without the slightest danger of causing a con- 

 flagration ; either of the ethers mentioned, on the other hand, turns 

 out a better finish, besides being less powerfully anaesthetic than 

 chloroform, while the price of the methylated preparation is compara- 

 tively insignificant. On the whole I still consider methylated ether 

 to be the most serviceable for entomological purposes — especially at 

 the price. 



London : June, 1894. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE NEW ZEALAND GLOW-WORM, 

 BOLITOPHILA LUMINOSA. 



BY A. NOKEIS. 



I have observed the larvse in their natural haunts forming their 

 webs, which consist of a kind of mucus, which is discharged from all 

 parts of the body. If you take a larva from its web, and put it on 

 the ground, it will stay there until it has discharged enough of this 

 mucus from which to slide out. Wherever it goes it leaves a mark in 

 the same way as the snail. When the larva is making a fresh web it 

 raises its head and the first four or five segments in the air, and reaches 

 round about until it strikes something. It then draws its head back 

 a little way, thus making a very fine thread of mucus. It then passes 

 it to the thick mucus on the first segment, then slides out a little way 

 and makes another thread on the other side in the same way, fastening 

 each to the thick mucus on the body. When it has made a sufilcient 

 number of these braces, it begins to make the strings of beads which 

 bang downwards from these braces by gliding out on the braces, 

 and lowering its head and about half the body. It then works its head 

 and body up and down as if to vomit. iTou can see the mucus 

 gathering on the body. Then it draws its head right back into the 

 first two segments, as if it were turning inside out. It then catches 

 hold of the mucus on the edge of the segment and forces it forward. 



