116 COLEOPTERA. 
an insect in the last, or perfect state : the 
head and corselet are formed exactly like 
those of the male, who is furnished with 
the proper wings and elytra, that charac- 
terize the order*. 
Lucy. Corselet ; that is a new term, 
mamma. 
Mother, It is sometimes used for tho- 
rax. The male lampyris has four lumi- 
nous spots in the same situation as the 
female ; in this country they afford a very- 
feeble light, but in Italy their appear- 
ance, as they flit through the air on a 
dark night, is extremely beautiful. And 
in the West Indies these flies are so bril- 
liant, that Mrs. Merian , when at Marti- 
nique, has frequently put two or three of 
them under a glass bell, and found that 
she could read a small print with ease, 
as long as they permitted their little 
lamps to give light. 
Lucy, But what enables this singular 
creature to give light ? 
* Plate VII. 
