206 THE CICADA OF GUERNSEY. 



Plato, Virgil, Homer, Aristotle, and others make allusion 

 to this insect in their writings, and it has been often figured 

 on the gems and coins of Ancient Greece. Mr. Buckton in his 

 monograph mentions an ancient Eoman ornament, represent- 

 ing one of these insects, probably as old as 300 years B.C. 



The exotic lantern flies also belong to the Cicadae. Their 

 name Fulgora was given by Burnmeister, as suggestive of the 

 luminous property then popularly believed to reside in the 

 singular horny cases protruding from their thoraces, which 

 have fanciful resemblances to Chinese lanterns. 



Although Madame Merian made the statement, " that she 

 could read the print of a Dutch newspaper by the light 

 afforded by one of these insects," no reliable entomologist has 

 confirmed her statement of such a phosphorescence. 



A writer, however, in the Entomologist's Monthly Maga- 

 zine (Vol. VIII. page 167) calls attention to a statement made 

 in Perry's "Arcania" (an old book), doubtless on hearsay 

 evidence, that the attendants on travellers in China are in the 

 habit of lighting their way at night by carrying these insects. 



The editors of the above magazine hint that " if Fulgora 

 be luminous, then it most studiously turns off its ' bull's eye ' 

 in the presence of all the modern scientific naturalists who 

 have made a special search for its lamp ; and having arrived 

 at this stage of development, we anticipate, that by a process 

 of natural selection, Fulgora will eventually lose all luminous 

 powers and attributes, having found no truth (?) in the motto 

 " ex luce lucellum." 



We now turn to the species of Cicadae inhabiting this 

 island; they, in common with those found in Great Britain, 

 are small in size and have none of the musical properties 

 which have made their exotic relatives so famous in song and 

 fable. 



We have, however, numerous species, which although 

 small, are very beautiful in colour and markings. 



Some are interesting from their grotesque appearance 

 and gait which has earned for them the name of froghoppers ; 

 indeed most of these insects have the power of jumping to an 

 extraordinary distance in comparison to their size, and are 

 rather difficult to capture in consequence. 



One of the commonest species and which is familiar to 

 nearly everyone is the cuckoo-spit insect. 



The larvae of several of the species, especially of Philainus 

 spumarius conceal themselves in a kind of foam which is 

 called cuckoo-spit. 



