SECTION II. Glow-Worm. Lampyris noctiluca.-LINN. Lantern-Fly. Fulgora lanternaria.-LINN. THERE are various worms, insects, and fishes, that have a power. of emitting, perhaps of secreting spontaneously, a considerable portion of light. The subject is curious, and we shall treat of it generally in a subsequent chapter. Among these singular animals, the two we have placed at the head of the present section are the most distinguished. They do not belong to the same order under the systematic arrangement of Linuæus, but we have for the present united them, on account of their correspondence in this respect. The LAMPYRIS NOCTILUCA, or GLOW-WORM, is a highly curious and interesting animal. It is seen during the summer months, as late as the close of August, if the season be mild, on dry banks, about woods, pastures, and hedgeways, exhibiting, as soon as the dusk of the evening commences, the most vivid and beautiful phosphoric splendour, in form of a round spot of considerable size. The animal itself, which is the female insect, measures about three-quarters of an inch in length, and is of a dull earthy brown colour on the upper parts, and beneath more or less tinged with rose-colour; with the two or three last joints of the body of a pale or whitish sulphur-colour. It is from these parts that the phosphoric light abovementioned proceeds, which is of a yellow colour, with a very slight cast of green: the body, exclusive of the thorax, consists of ten joints or divisions. The larva, pupa, and complete female insect scarcely differ perceptibly from each other in general appearance, but the phosphoric light is strongest in the complete animal. The glow-worm is a slow-moving insect, and in its manner of walking frequently seems to drag itself on by starts or slight efforts as it The male is smaller than the female, and is provided both with wings and wing-sheaths: it is but rarely seen; and it seems, were. or not. The general idea among naturalists has been that it is not, and that the splendour exhibited by the female in this species is ordained for the purpose of attracting the male. This circumstance is elegantly expressed in some beautiful lines of Mr. Gilbert White, in his History of Selburne. "The chilling night-dews fall; away, retire; Dr. Darwin also, in his admired poem the Botanic Garden, commemorates the splendour of the glow-worm among other phænomena supposed to be produced under the superintendance of the nymphs of fire. "You with light gas the lamps nocturnal feed Star of the earth, and diamond of the night!" It is certain that in some species of this genus the male as well as the female is luminous, as in the lampyris italica, which seems to be a native of our own island also, though less common here than in the warmer parts of Europe. Aldrovandus describes the winged glow-worm as having its wing-shells of a dusky colour, and at the end of the body two brilliant fiery spots like the flame of sulphur. In the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1684, we find a paper by a Mr. Waller, describing the English flying glow-worn as of a dark colour, with the tail part very luminous: he maintains that both male and female of this species are winged, and that the female is larger than the male the light of this insect was very vivid, so as to be plainly perceived even when a candle was in the room. Mr. Waller observed this species at Northaw, in Hertford. shire. From the figure given by this writer it appears to be about half an inch in length, which is much smaller than the common female glow worm. In Italy this flying glow-worm is extremely plentiful; and we are informed by Dr. Smith, and other travellers, that it is a very common practice for the ladies to stick them by way of ornament in different parts of their head-dress during the evening hours. The common or wingless glow-worm may be very successfully kept, if properly supplied with moist turf, grass, moss, &c. for a considerable length of time; and, as soon as the evening commences, will regularly exhibit its beautiful effulgence, illuminating every ob. ject within a small space around it, and sometimes the light is so vivid, as to be perceived through the box in which it is kept. This insect deposits its eggs, which are small and yellowish, on the leaves of grass, &c. The FULGORA LANTERNARIA, or PERUVIAN LANTERN.FLY, is undoubtedly one of the most curious of insects; it is of a very considerable size, measuring nearly three inches and a half from the tip of the front to that of the tail; and about five inches and a half from wing's end to wing's end when expanded: the body is of a lengthened oval shape, roundish or subcylindric, and divided into several rings or segments: the head is nearly equal to the length of the rest of the animal, and is oval, inflated, and bent slightly upwards the ground-colour is an elegant yellow, with a strong tinge of green in some parts, and marked with numerous bright redbrown variegations, in the form of stripes and spots: the wings are very large, of a yellow colour, most elegantly varied with brown undulations and spots, and the lower pair are decorated by a very large eye-shaped spot on the middle of each, the iris or border of the spot being red, and the centre half red and half semi-transparent white: the head or lantern is pale yellow, with longitudinal red stripes. This beautiful insect is a native of Surinam and many other parts of South America, and during the night diffuses so strong a phosphoric splendor from its head or lantern, that it may be em ployed for the purpose of a candle or torch; and it is said that three or four of the insects, tied to the top of a stick, are frequently used by travellers for that purpose. The celebrated Merian, in her the surprize into which she was thrown by the first view of the flashes of light proceeding from these Insects. "The Indians once brought me, says she," before I knew that they shone by night, a number of these lantern-flies, which I shut up in a large wooden box. In the night they made such a noise, that I awoke in a fright, and ordered a light to be brought: not knowing then whence the noise proceeded. As soon as we found that it came from the box, we opened it; but were still much more alarmed, and let it fall to the ground in a fright, at seeing a flame of fire come out of it; and as many animals as came out, so many flames of fire appeared. When we found this to be the case, we recovered from our fright, and again collected the Insects highly admiring their splendid appearance." [Shaw. SECTION III. Locust Cricket. Gryllus. LINN. THERE are various species belonging to this genus, that are worthy notice in the present place: particularly the migratory locust, the crested cricket, and the mole cricket. We shall give a short de. scription of each in their order. 1. Migratorius Locust. Gryllus migratorius.-LINN. This species is to be placed among the most noxious of all insects, or those capable of producing the most dreadful and extensive destruction. Legions of these animals are from time to time observed in various parts of the world, where the havoc they commit is almost incredible: whole provinces are in a manner desolated by them in the space of a few days, and the air is darkened by their numbers; nay even when dead they are still terrible; since the putrefaction arising from their inconceivable number is such, that it has been regarded as one of the probable causes of pestilence in the Eastern regions. This formidable Locust is generally of a brownish colour, varied with pale red or flesh-colour, and the legs are frequently blueish. In the year 1748, it appeared in irregular flights in several parts of Europe, as in Germany, France and England and in this capital itself and its neighbourhood great numbers were seen they perished however in a short time, and were happily not productive of any material mischief, having been probably driven by some irregular wind out of their intended course, and weakened by the coolness of the climate. From a paper published in the 18th volume of the Philosophical Transactions we find that in the year 1695, some swarms of this species of locust settled in some parts of Wales. Two vast flights were observed in the air not far from the town of Dol-galken in Merionethshire; the others fell in Pembrokeshire. From a letter published in the 38th volume of the same work it appears that some parts of Germany, particularly in the March of Brandenburgh, &c. suffered considerable injury from the depredations of these animals. They made their appearance in the spring of the year 1732, from flights which had deposited their eggs in the ground the preceding year. They attacked and devoured the young spike of the wheat, &c. and this chiefly by night, and thus laid waste many acres at a time beyond all hope of recovery. In the 46th volume of the same Transactions, we find a description of the ravages of these animals in Walachia, Moldavia, Transylvania, Hungary, and Poland, in the years 1747 and 1748. "The first swarms entered into Transylvania in August, 1747 : these were succeeded by others, which were so surprisingly numerous, that when they reached the Red Tower, they were full four hours in their passage over that place; and they flew so close that they made a sort of noise in the air by the beating of their wings against one another. The width of the swarm was some hundreds of fathoms, and its height or density may be easily imagined to be more considerable, inasmuch as they hid the sun, and darkened the sky, even to that degree, when they flew low, that people could not know one another at the distance of twenty paces; but, whereas they were to fly over a river that runs in the vallies of the Red Tower, and could find neither resting-place nor food; being at length tired with their flight, one part of them lighted on the unripe corn on this side of the Red Tower, such as millet, Turkish wheat, &c.; another pitched on a low wood, where, having miserably wasted the produce of the land, they continued their journey, as if a signal had actually been given for a march. The guards of the |