150 
ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 
the larvae or grub stage of the species that 
it is at first somewhat difficult to distinguish 
the two, but if a close examination be made 
it will be found that the adult female has the 
legs more developed than in the case of the 
grub. 
Glow-worms are luminous throughout all 
stages of their existence. Even the eggs emit 
a subdued light, and both the larval and 
chrysalis forms glow in the dark, but the 
greatest degree of luminosity is displayed 
by the mature female. 
In the case of the adults the light-giving 
organs are confined to two or three of the 
abdominal segments of the body, but the 
exact manner in which the light is produced 
still remains somewhat of a mystery, although 
it is known to arise from a yellowish and 
pulpy tissue, composed of numerous granules 
of an albuminous nature that lie beneath 
transparent plates. Glow-worms feed upon 
slugs and snails, and for this reason they are 
very beneficial to agriculturists. 
In a similar manner to the glow-worm the 
fire-flies have a misnomer applied to them, 
for they are not flies but winged beetles. 
There are a large number of different kinds 
of fire-flies, most of which come from tropical 
America, although some are found in the 
