Beetles of British Guiana. 71 
eleven jointed and inserted on the front of the head 
rather closely together. 
I am not aware that I have seen any inse6l of this 
family here more than half an inch long, though some of 
them are said to be longer. The Lampyris phosphorea, 
LlN ; and the Lampyris ignita, Fab., are most com- 
monly met with in British Guiana, and may be picked 
up almost anywhere. Three species of this genus, viz., 
Lycus serratus, Lycus tricolor, and Lycus limbatus, 
were placed by FABRICIUS among the Lycidae (from 
lukos, a wolf) or " wolf beetles", but subsequent writers 
have changed the generic name of these beetles. The 
home of the wolf beetles is Africa. The luminous Lam- 
pyrides only emit light from the last segment of the 
abdomen, and this light is almost always fitful or twink- 
ling, and much feebler than that given out by the 
Elaterides. When the earth is enveloped in sable night, 
the fire-flies often form one of the most striking features 
of the tropical landscape. When a traveller from the 
temperate zones arrives in the tropics, he is almost at 
once struck by the size and brilliancy of the stars which 
shine in the tropical sky, and has thus suggested to his 
mind TENNYSON'S beautiful lines: — 
" Larger constellations burning, mellow moons and happy skies, 
Breadths of tropic shade and palms in cluster, knots of Paradise". 
As soon, however, as he begins to view the landscape 
after dusk he discovers that it too has its stars. The 
first sight of the tropical fire-flies strikes all new comers 
with wonder. I have sat for hours in the gallery of 
one of the mountain residences among the hills of 
Jamaica during a moonless night in the rainy season, and 
watched the varied lights on the landscape and sky 
