msccts known to them.* Some o f the males, which are furnished with wings and are
dlummated hke the females, were striking objects o f natural history, and oonfd scarcely
have escaped then- notice. The Greeks included all shining insects under the name
am p yn s; and The Latins called them cicindela, noctiluca, lucióla, lucernata &c
Mhother any o f the F u lg o ra were known to the ancients is uncertain; probably they
r . aa , ‘’ooncie tthe seat o f learn,ng, idoes indeed produce“ >a few species; but we have no
account o f these in ancient natural history.
The Fulgora, seem to have been entirely unknown in Europe till the latter end o f the
seventeenth century, when two writers published descriptions and figures o f FuFo ra
I T T ' t f T ™ Metamorphoses
t oUege “P GrNham
R o e s e r r b - N iV ' “' « 'f e o™ L a tc rn a ria , and after hun
0 sel, ,n h.s Amusing History (or Recreation) o f Insects.”/ This brings us to the
‘’ircum T ' " f y o™ Chinese species, was first known in E u r o p e ; a
cncumstance o f much importance to naturalists at that time, because the fir st-m en tln ed
species was a solitary example o f its singular genus. The transactions o f the Stockholm
academy includes the earliest figure and description o f this extraordinary insect
Roesel has given three figures and a description o f it, and from his account we learn
lat It " a s known m England before he was acquainted with it. On its peculiar
quaht.es he had been unable to derive any information concerning it, but l.is description
IS notwithstanding extremely prolix. W e have selected the most interesting passaire
because it clearly marks the progressive advancement o f the knowledge o f natural histor?
in Europe so late as the middle o f the present century.
I ■intefn'^T'^'"° P™“ '®**,” says Roesel,§ “ I now produce the second sort o f
on s e c r ' T ^ any work
nsects. The scarcer, however, it may be, the more I am indebted to Mr. Beurer
ap o th ep ry o f this place,« &c. for the permission he has granted me to draw and enri h
my collection w.th it. Mr. Collinson has sent it to him from London, under t h e l Í
• T h e lampyris o f P l in y is expressly th e in se c t with a shining tail,
t Mémoires p o u r servir a i’H istoire de s Inse c te s. 1734.
X Inse c ten B e lustigung.
l o c L q pag™i89.‘" L an te rn en -'
II N urenbe rg.
I, &c. Vol. i. pi. 30.
H EM IP T E R A .
Lanternaria Chinensis, for which reason I have called it the Asiatic or Chinese Lantern-
carrier.” Roesel being a respectable entomological writer o f his time, we must infer
that Fu lgora Candelaria was extremely scarce in Europe when his plate and descriptions
were published. The commercial concerns o f Europeans witb tlie Chinese having
greatly increased since that period, has facilitated many inquiries concerning the natural
productions o f Ch in a ; and amongst a variety o f other insects that are now usually
brought from that country, specimens o f Fulgora Candelaria are extremely common. In
China, few insects are found in greater abundance.
Having noticed the early history o f this insect, we come to consider the peculiar properties
o f its singular g en u s; upon which the following observations were made by our
a u th o r : “ Among these we find the most astonishing that insects can possess, that o f emanating
lig h t; not merely a momentary shining appearance, as is produced by m any viscous
substances, but a clear and constant resemblance to the element fire, and capable o f
diffusing ligh t to surrounding objects, though totally destitute o f every principle that can
do mischief. To the unphilosophical mind it appears at first impossible, and it cannot
fail to astonish the best informed ; indeed, some readers might be inclined to doubt the
veracity o f travellers in foreign countries who have seen a vegetable* or an animal
produce light, i f our own country could not supply us with abundant analogous proofs
o f such phenomena. The presence o f tbis animated phosphorus, i f we may so express
it, is observed on several insects that are natives o f England ; it is needless to enumerate
them, because the most striking example must be recollected by every rural inhabitant
or admirer o f poetical simplicity :
- O n every hedge
Tlie glow-worm lights his gem, a n d th ro u g h th e da rk
A moving rad ian c e tw in k le s .’ Thomson.
“ The account which Madame Merian gave o f the effect o f the ligh t produced by the
Fulgora L a te rn a ria '\ was greatly discredited, though Dr. Grew had related some sur-
An in stanc e o f th is occure in th e so u th o f E urope . An a c co u n t in th e Philosophic a l T ran s a c tio n s re la te s
o f th e D ic tam n u s Albus (F rax in e lla ), th a t “ in th e still evenings o f d ry seasons it em its a n inflammable a ir, or
g a s , a n d flashes a t th e app ro a ch o f a c an d le . T h e re a re c e rta in instanc e s o f h um an c re a tu re s who have tak en
fire spontaneously, a n d been to ta lly c o n sum ed .”
t T h e a c co u n t which M ad am e M e rian ha s given o f th e lig h t o f th e F n lg o ra L a te rn a r ia is so surprising,
th a t it will c e rta in ly prove a c c ep tab le to m an y re ade rs. I t is indeed a digression from th e a c co u n t o f FulgorL
Can d e la ria , b u t will te n d to prove, th a t insects o f this gen u s em it a more vivid lig h t th a n any o f th e illuminated
k in d s hith e rto known.
“ O n c e ,” says Madame Me rian, “ when th e In d ian s b ro u g h t me a n um b e r o f the se L an te rn -c a rrie rs , I p ut