























HEMIPTERA, 
from Peru", Her account has, however, been generally believed, fince the miffionaries® in countries 
which produce thofe infects have confirmed her account. It is admitted, that the Chinefe Fulgora has an 
illuminated appearance in the night. “ The foreheads of many Fulgore (efpecially thofe found in China) 
emit a lively fhining light in the night time, which, according to fome authors, is fufficient to read by."— 
Yeats’, 
The light of the Fulgora is generally imagined to iffue from the trunk, or elongated projection of the 
forehead ; but Roefel offers a conje@ure on the light of the F ulgora Lanternaria, which, on further invef- 
tigation, may enable naturalifts to determine whether the light is entirely produced by an innate property 
of the trunk, or receives additional fplendour from fome external caufe. He notices a white farinaceous 
fubftance on feveral parts of the wings and body, as well as the trunk, which, he obferves, looks like the 
decayed wood which fhines at night. We mention this conjeéture of Roefel, though the fame occurred to 
us before we perufed his obfervations, We have invariably found a fimilar white powder on other infects 
of this genus, but ufually upon the trunk only. The remarks of Roefel were neceffarily very limited, two 
{pecies of the Fulgore only being then known. We poffefs twelve diftin& fpecies, and have made diffeGtions 
and obfervations on feveral others; from all which we are inclined to imagine, that the white powder has 
a phofphoric appearance in the living infe&t, and increafes the light, when the end of the trunk is illu- 
minated. 
One of the Fulgorz of confiderable magnitude, from the interior of India, enabled us to make many 
obfervations. The trunk is of the fame form as that of the Fulgora Candelaria. The colour is a dark 
but beautiful purple: the apex fcarlet, of a perfeGtly pellucid appearance, and ftill retains a reddith 
glare. The fpots of white, fprinkled on the purple colour of the trunk, exhibit alfo a flight appear- 
ance of phofphoric matter. On the trunk of the Fulgora Candelaria thefe white {pots are very confpi- 
cuous. 
Though the generic name Fulgora feems to imply fome effulgent property in the infeéts that compofe 
the genus, it is uncertain whether all poffefs that property. They are indeed furnifhed with a trunk, 
but it is fmaller in proportion, in feveral fpecies, than in F. Lanternaria, Candelaria, Flammea, Phofpho- 
n Cucujus Peruvianus. 
“¢ That which, befide the figure of the head, is moft wonderful in this infeét, is the fhining property of the fame part, whereby it looks 
in the night like a lantern, fo that, two or three of thefe faftened to a ftick, or otherwife conveniently difpofed of, will give fufficient light 
to thofe who travel or walk in the night” Grew. Mufeum Regalis Societatis, p. 158. 
® Le ver-luifant. Ceux que nous yoyons a la campagne dans les nuits d’été ne jettent qu’une foible lueur: mais ils y en a dans les In- 
des modernes qui répandent un éclat trés-vif. Ce font, pour ainfi dire, des phofphores animez. ‘ Les Indiens, dit le fayant auteur de la 
Théologie des infectes, “€ ne fe fervoient autrefois dans leurs maifons, et dehors d’aucune autre lumiere. Lorfqu’ils marchent de nuit, ils en at- 
tachent deux aux gros doigts du pied, et en portent un Ala main. Ces infeétes répandent une fi grande clairté, que par leur moyen on peut 
lire, écrire, et faire dans une chambre toutes les autres chofes néceffaires.” Leffer Liv. 2. c. 3. rem. 8. 
Le trait rapporté par le P. pu 
Tertre dans fon Hifloire des Antilles, auroit bien di étre cité il dit avoir 14 fon breviare A la clarté d’un de ces vers-luifans. 
P Yeats. Inftitutions of Entomology. 
