/ 
Dear Mr. Connell, 
Magua 
Dominica, B. li. I., 
l^th. Nov%iber, 19$5 
The kind of firefly ( Pyrophorus lutninosus ) variously knovm in -Uaese islands as 
“candle-fly", "cogot^u”, “lalo", etc., is said to have been caged for use as a larnp, 
and tied to the big toes to aid in ni^t hunting, on Hispaniola. How the cage ©r 
“lanp" was constructed and of what it was mad© i do not knowj but I have an idea that 
bamboo is not a native plant. Children play with these fascinating creatviresj and 
people occasionally (but not regularly) us© them to read or to lighten a dark room 
when they hav© no fir© or matches. Breton, who was here between 1635 end 1653 says 
that h© used them regularly in order to read his breviary. Ther© is a local belief 
that they ar© siikuiyo (women who divest themselves of their skins and take various 
shapes in order to go and suck people «s blood at night). Ihey ar© merely placed and 
held on th© page it is wished to read, or introduced into th© room it is wished to 
light. I never heard of a their being put in such a laip as you mention her© in 
Dominica, Sorry I hav© not been able to help. 
Sincerely, 
(Douglas Taylor) 
