166 
NATURAL HISTORY OF 
was unable to succeed in his object, until he learned 
from a lady, that the cage containing the insects 
should be daily immersed in cold water. This is 
rendered necessary from their natural habitation 
being in swampy meadows, where, during the day, 
they probably lie concealed in the wet herbage. 
Perhaps the introduction of.damp moss into the cage 
(which ought to be made of wood, and not glued 
together) might be more natural and salutary to the 
insects. The Elaters feed upon the sugar-cane, and 
should the larvae do so likewise, which is more than 
probable, from their being xylophagous, they must 
do incredible mischief to the planters, as they are 
produced in abundance in the West Indian islands, 
and are very generally distributed over them. Mr 
Lees having taken some sugar-cane to sea with him 
to feed the beetles upon, he observed that they 
readily broke the wood away with their mandibles 
to obtain the saccharine matter on which they fed ; 
and after his stock was consumed, he gave them 
brown sugar, by which means they were kept alive 
the whole of their voyage, from June to the middle 
of September. 
“ The insect, when roused and in perfect vigour, 
seems to be completely saturated with the luminous 
secretion, since the back, when the elytra and wings 
are expanded, has a phosphoric appearance ; and 
there is a strong light at the base of the abdomen, 
where the posterior coxae are attached, which being 
apparent only in some, I thought might be peculiar 
