“ 
1885.] The Reputation of the Lantern Fly, 837 
insect. He laughed at the seriousness with which the story was 
received, refused to believe that it had injured any one, and to the 
horror of every one present, took the insect in his hand and 
repeatedly thrust his finger against the point of its beak which 
was said to be so deadly. I mention this case especially to show 
that there can be no doubt about the identity of the insect. Dr. 
Lacerda also showed me specimens of it in his own collection. 
Another proof of its identity is given by Pompeo de Souza in 
his Ensaio Estatistico da Provincia do Ceara, p. 216. Among 
the insects of that province he mentions the tiranaboia, which, he 
Says, “is supposed to be poisonous, but there is no fact to justify 
this story.” A dried specimen was sent him from the interior, 
and he declares it to be a hemipter. 
Fulgora lanternaria. Natural size. 
It goes without saying that this gitiranabdia is perfectly harm- 
less. It may be added also that its scientific name is a misnomer 
as far as it relates to its producing light. I was often assured 
that its head was luminous, but I have never met a single person 
who claimed to have seen this luminosity. Snr. Luiz A. A. de 
Carvalho, Jr., of Rio de Janeiro, who has several species of these 
beautiful insects in his collection, assured me that he knew of no 
evidence whatever that they produced light. Prince Maximilien 
de Wied-Neuwied says on this subject: “ Nous n’avons jamais 
aperçu le moindre vestige de la luerer éclatante du fulgore porte- 
lanterne (Fulgora lanternaria) quoique nous avons souvent pris 
cet insecte sur les arbres.” 
