TRANSFORMATION'S OF INSECTS. 
310 
England during the summer nights, are very common in some 
parts of the Continent, and they sparkle like little gems amongst 
the grass and dense foliage up the hill sides in Southern Europe. 
They are beetles, and belong to the genus Lampyris , and they 
resemble somewhat, but cannot be confounded with, the Can- 
tharidce. Their chest pieces, which form a broad mass, project 
more or less over the head, like a buckler. The males have 
large wings and long elytra, but the females have only rudi- 
metamorphoses of the glowworm (Lampyris splendidula ). 
mentary wings, and they therefore cannot fly. The females 
resemble the larvae ; they are more abundant than the males, 
and they give out the light which renders them such well known 
insects. The curious phosphorescent light comes from the under 
part of the abdomen, near the tip, and is under the control of 
the animal. It is used to attract the males, which generally 
conceal themselves during the day-time in the trunks of trees. 
The larvae resemble the females, and are highly developed. 
They attack and devour snails and other land mollusca, and 
