17G 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
ward appearance ; in the mostly apterous state of the 
female; and in the presence of tho power of emitting 
phosphorescent light. Their palpi, also, are of diffe- 
rent structure ; the eyes more developed ; the head 
more entirely hidden by the rounded prothorax ; and 
the intermediate coxao more approximated. The 
“ Glow-worm,” Lampyris noctiluca, and tho curious 
Phosphaenus hemipterus, which has only been found at 
Lewes, are the sole British exponents of this family. 
The males of the glow-worm are sometimes very 
slightly luminous, and are considerably rarer than the 
female ; they may, however, be taken by sweeping at 
night in grassy places where the other sex is found, — 
sometimes having been observed to fly to a lamp, after 
the fashion of moths. They are dingy in colour, with 
a rounded thorax hiding tho head, ample wings under 
their elytra, and very largo eyes, resembling those of 
certain dipterous insects. The female, on the con- 
trary, has smaller eyes, and neither elytra nor wings ; 
her body is flat, soft, and broad ; and, in short, she 
considerably resembles the larva from which she 
sprang, from which she differs in having the ordinary 
femur, tibia, and five-jointed tarsi to the legs, eleven- 
jointed antennae, and a broad flat semicircular thorax: 
the larva, moreover, has distinct light-coloured corners 
to each segment. The pupa of the female exhibits but 
slight differences from the larva ; but that of tho male 
shows the ordinary rudiments of the future members. 
The insect, both as an imago and larva, dovours small 
Mollusca (snails, &o.) ; and, when in tho latter condi. 
tion, uses certain radii, protruded from tho anus, for 
the purpose of freeing the front of the body from the 
dirt and slime caused by its habits of feeding. 
