JAMAICA—BEETLES 
295 
ventured even on to the Governor’s dining-table in the King’s House, 
but that was after the earthquake had shaken all institutions to 
their very foundations. The Scarab, Phanaeus sulcatus, Drury 
(belzebul, Eabr.), Mandeville, Walderston, was abundant flying about 
dung at dusk, it also came to light and one was “ found drowned.” 
The small Chafer, Cyclocephala signata , Drury, came freely to light at 
Constant Spring and Spanish Town. These beetles are locally known 
as “ Hard-backs,” though they are in reality somewhat soft, as 
beetles go. Democrates croesus , Hewm. Four came to light at 
Walderston, and one was found in a hole in the earth under a stone. 
Of lachnosterna sp. a specimen came to light at Spanish Town; 
the British Museum possesses a single, unnamed, specimen from 
Jamaica. 
The Longicorns were somewhat insignificant; Achryson suri- 
namum, Linn., turned up in our bedroom at Constant Spring. 
Lagochirus ananeformis, Linn., came to light at Montego Bay. 
Chlorida festiva, Linn., came to light at Port Antonio. Elaphidion 
spinicorne, Drury, did the same at Constant Spring. 
At Mackfield on February 1st my servant brought me a specimen 
of the Elaterid Fire-fly, Pyrophorus noctilucous, Linn., whicli exhibited 
a pair of constant green lights from points near either angle of the 
prothorax. It “ clicked ” violently when held in the fingers, but I 
failed to make it display a red light as described by Gosse. 1 When 
the green lights were dying out they seemed to pulsate. Unfor¬ 
tunately I had no further opportunity of observing this interesting 
insect, but the smaller Fire-fly, Photuris jamaicensis, Ernst Oliv., 
was a frequent visitor to the hotel lights at Constant Spring, Mande¬ 
ville, Walderston, and especially Castleton. This Firefly, which 
belongs to quite a different group, the Malacodermata, exhibited on 
irritation an intermittent bright green light on the under-side of the 
last two segments of the abdomen. The scintillations appeared to 
be about 20 to 25 per minute. Four of the beetles were put into 
the cyanide-bottle with the result that their lights at once became 
continuous and remained so; the insects themselves appeared to 
become insensible almost immediately. After the expiration of 15 
minutes the light of two of the insects was rather faint; after \ 25 
minutes one was very nearly extinct; after 35 minutes all the lights 
were faint, one was scarcely visible; after 50 minutes three of the 
insects were still distinctly, though faintly, luminous; at 64 minutes 
three of the lights were nearly out, the fourth was faint. Bed-time 
terminated the experiment. Another beetle of the same species 
1 “ A Naturalist’s Sojourn in Jamaica,” p. 102 (1851), 
