Si
The Fulgoræ feem to have been entirely unknown in Europe till the latter end o f the laft century;
when two writers publiftied defcriptions and figures o f Eulgora Lanternaria. Madame Merian, of Holland,
ill her fplendid work on the Metamorpliofis o f the Infefts o f Surinam, and Dr. Grew, o f London, in his
Rarities o f Grefliam College.
Reaumur ^ is the next author who defcribed the Eulgora Lanternaria, and after him Roefel, in his
“ Amufing Hiliory (or recreation) o f Infefts This brings us to the period in which Eulgora Candelaria,
our Chinefe fpecies, was firft known in Europe: a circumftance o f much importance to naturalirts at that
time, becaufe the firft mentioned fpecies was a folitary example of its lingular genus. The tranfaftions of
the Stockholm academy includes the earlieft figure and defcription o f this extraordinary infeft; from thefe
Linnæus defcribed it in his Syjlema Naturee-, but his arrangement has undergone many alterations fince
that time. At firft he included it among the Coleopterous infefts; then he called them Lanternariæ; and
again, they were clafled with the Cicadæ. Thefe have been fince correfted, and a new genns formed of
infefts with elongated trunks on their foreheads exclufively, under the name Fulgora, a name that has been
adopted by later authors, and finally by Fabricius.
Roefel has given three figures and a defcription o f the Fulgora Candelaria-, from his account we
learn th at it was known in England before he was acquainted with it. On its peculiar qualities, he
obferves he muft be entirely filent, becaufe he had been unable to derive any information concerning i t;
his defcription is notwithftanding extremely prolix, and occupies four quarto pages; as he notices every
trifling particular o f tlie fpots, colours, &c. o f the infeft. We have felefted the moft interefting paffage,
becaufe It clearly marks the progreffive advancement o f the knowledge o f natural hiftory in Europe, fo
late as the middle o f the prefent century.
“ According to my promife,” fays Roefel ■*, “ I now produce the fecond fort o f Lantern-carrier, which
I never faw before; and o f which I have never read in any work on infefts. The fcarcer however it may
be, the more I am indebted to Mr. Beiirer, apothecary o f this place ®, &c. for the permilfion he has granted
me to draw and enrich ray colleftion with it. Mr. Collinfon has fent it to him from London, under the
name Lanternaria Chinenfis, for which reafon I have called it the Afiatic or Chinefe Lantern-carrier."
Roefel being a refpeftable entomological writer o f his time, we muft infer that Fulgora Candelaria was
extremely fcarce in Europe when his plate and defcriptions were publifliecl. Thc commercial concerns of
Europeans with the Chinefe having greatly increafed fince that period, has facilitated many inquiries concerning
the natural produftions o f China; and amongft a variety of other infefts that are now ufually
brought from that countiy, fpecimens of Fulgora Candelaria are not uncommon. In China few infefts are
found in greater abundance.
b .Mémoires pour fervir a l’HIlloire des Infcéles. 173.].
* Infcélen Eeluftigung.
Verfprocher.er malTen liefere ich nunmehr die zwentc Sorte des Lantcrnen-Tr.igers, &c. Vo). r. pl. 30. Locull, page i
e Nurenbeig.
H E M I P T E R A .
The authors who have figured or defcribed the Chinefe Fulgora, fince Roefe], are De Geer Seba
Sulzerh, and our countryman Edwardsi. De Geer gives a very concife defcription, and no figure; and
Seba merely obferves, in bis defcription o f Fulgora Candelaria, " La Chine produit une autre efpéce du
même genre mais beaucoup plus petite e t toute différente." Edwards bas given a figure o f it in one o f the
plates in his work o f Birds. His defcription is certainly uninterefling k.
Having noticed the feveral authors who have treated on this infeft, we come to confider the peculiar
properties of its fingular geims; and among thefe we find the moft aftonifliing that infefts can polfefs,
that of emanating lig h t: not merely a momentary fliining appearance, as is produced by many vlfcous
fubftances, but a clear and coiiftant refemblance to the element, fire; and capable o f diffuSng light to fur.
rounding objefts, though totally deftitute o f every principle that can do mifchief. To the unphilofophical
mind it appears at firft impoHible, and it cannot fail to aftonilh the beft informed. Indeed, fome readers
might be inclined to doubt the veracity o f travellers in foreign counU-ie.=, who have feen a vegetable 1 or an
animal produce light, if our own conntry could not fupply us with abundant analogous proofs o f fuch
phænomenæ. The prefence of this animated phofphorus, if we may fo exprefs it, is obferved on feveral
infefts that are natives o f England : it is needlefs to enumerate them, becaufe the moft ftriking example
muft be recolleftcd by every rural inhabitant, or admirer o f poetical flmplicity.
‘ On every hedge
“ Thc glow-worm lights his gem, and thro’ the dark
“ A moving radiance twinkles.” T homson.
The account which Madame Merian gave of the effeft o f the light produced by the Fulgora Lantema-
riW" was greatly difcredited, though Dr. Grew had related fome furprifing particulars o f a fpecimen o f it
f De Geer. Hiftoire des Infeaes. 1752.
g Seba. ThcfaurusNaturx. 1765.
'' Kenwzeichcii der Infeacn (Charaderiftics of Infeds). 1761.
‘ Edwards’s Birds, 410. London, 174;.
k ■■ I Bk. I. » be a kind of fiw-Hy, and t o par, „„ the head the la „ „ „ . The wing, are d l «at, and the nppe, one. hard and
tinooth, like thofe of the B,„U ot kind, of which it i, a fpccie,."
I An Mance of ,hi, occnt, in .he fon.h of Entope. An aeconn, in the Philofophical Ttanfadlion, relate, ot the DiSamnn, Albn,
(Fta.,aella), .he »i,l „ e .ia g . of do, feaf.n, i, emit, an i„tla„„able ait, or g .., and fl,« .,, a. th. appproaeh o t . candle There
are certain mftances of Iniman creatures who have taken fire fpontaneoufly, and been totally confumcd.”
» The .conn, .„ieh Mad.™. M.tia. ha, given of the Pght of the Fugrro L o„.„ r,. i. fo f„,p,i«„g, .h ., « „ 11, „ „ a i . i y prove
acceptahie to „ .a y teadeu. I. i, ¡.deed a digtedio. f t . „ aceon.t of F . l g , . Cn.A/.™, bn. wili tend to prove, that in f.a . . [ .hi,
seno, enn, a ntot. . ..id light than of the illnminated kind, h ith e tt. kaown.
wiZreÌn’ "ft“ “ ‘ ■ >■” k«.
bed d d " 7 T i ' ' "''”* ' ‘ "*'“ 1 knt one night, being awakened by an nnufnal noife, and much frightened, I jomped out of
k Hi“ " T
feemed to e.eive dd'f M « c’ “ ‘h "kich
d T d ' M r " “ “ “ “ " ' k c - e ohfetvcdthiafome ermr, .Jm,„d the fplend.ur of th.fe little auim.,,.-. time, we „coveted ftom