178 



February 18. (Sunday.) 



The rain has brought forth the fire-flies, and in the 

 evening the hedges are all brilliant with their num- 

 bers. In the day they seem to be torpid beetles of a 

 dull reddish colour, but at night they become of a 

 shining purple. The fire proceeds from two small 

 spots in the back part of the head. It is yellow in 

 the light, and requires motion to throw out its ra- 

 diance in perfection; but as soon as it is touched, the 

 fly struggles violently, and bends itself together with 

 a clicking noise like the snap of a spring; and I 

 understand that this effort is necessary to set it in 

 motion. It is sufficiently strong to turn itself up- 

 wards with a single movement, if lying on its 

 back : some people say that it is always obliged to 

 throw itself upon its back in order to take wing ; 

 but this I have, again, heard others contradict. 

 When confined in a glass, the light seems almost 

 extinguished ; nothing can be discerned but two 

 pale yellow spots ; but on being pressed by the hand 

 it becomes more brilliant than any emerald, and 

 when on the wing it seems entirely composed of 

 the most beautifully coloured fire. 



February 20. 



I attended the Slave Court, where a negro was 

 tried for sheep-stealing, and a black servant girl 

 for attempting to poison her master. The former 

 was sentenced to be transported. The latter was a 



