269 
Mr. P. H. Gosse on the Insects of Jamaica. 
which the two large ones above-named are conspicuous. I have 
delighted to watch and study their habits in this lonely spot, 
while the strange sounds, snorings, screeches, and ringings, of 
nocturnal reptiles and insects, sounds unheard by day, were 
coming up from every part of the deep forest around, giving an 
almost unearthly character to the scene. 
Pygolampis xanthophotis is seen only in flight : its light is of 
a rich orange-colour when seen abroad, but when viewed in the 
light of a candle appears yellow. It is not of so deep a tint as 
the abdominal light of Pyrophorus noctilucus. It is intermittent. 
Photuris versicolor is noticeable by its frequent resting on a 
twig or leaf in the woods, when it will gradually increase the in- 
tensity of its light till it glows like a torch ; then it gradually 
fades to a spark, and beeomes quite extinct : it thus remains un- 
seen for some time, but in about a minute, or, it may be, two, it 
will begin to appear, and gradually increase to its former blaze ; 
then fade again ; strongly reminding the beholder of a revolving 
light at sea. The light of this species is of a brilliant green hue. 
I have seen a passing Pyg. xanthophotis, attracted by the glow 
of a stationary Phot, versicolor ^ fly up and play around it ; when 
the intermingling of the green and orange rays had the same 
charming appearance as the two lights of Pyrophorus noctilucus 
noticed in the preceding part of this memoir. 
The smaller species have, some yellow, some green light : I 
have noticed only these two colours in the luminosity of such 
Lampyridce as I have observed. 
Pygolampis xanthophotis, when held in the fingers, will fre- 
quently illuminate the antepenultimate segment of the abdomen, 
over which the light plays fitfully, sometimes momentarily 
clouded, more or less, but generally saturated, as it were, with 
most brilliant effulgence. This species occasionally comes in at 
open windows at night, but much more rarely than Photuris ver- 
sicolor and the smaller kinds, a dozen or more of which may be 
seen almost every night, especially at Content, crawling up the 
walls or flitting around the room and beneath the ceiling. 
. At Content, in the latter part of July, I found in fresh-turned 
earth a larva of a Lampyris, small and lengthened : the abdomen 
was furnished with a retractile brush of divergent filaments, or- 
dinarily concealed ; but having no lens with me I could not ex- 
amine it particularly. 
54. Nitidula (sp. nov.). Found with a Philonthus, rather 
numerous, in the centre of decaying rose-apples {Eugenia jambos) 
on the Hampstead Road in June. 
55. Dermestes lardarius. Probably introduced. Sadly abun- 
dant in the skins of my preserved birds, at all times. 
56. Helops (sp. near celestinus). A single specimen found on 
