fpecies of Sphinx indeed are met with at that time on gourd blof-
foms; and various kinds of moths occafionally fly into the houfes
towards the candle, or may be caught by torch light upon the blof-
foms of fruit-trees, but lefs plentifully than in England.
Many American caterpillars fling like a nettle, railing little white
blifters in the Ikin, efpecially when accidentally or flightly touched;
hence they are in general held in great abhorrence. Mr. Abbot however
obferves, that he never yet found any caterpillar that it was
really dangerous to handle; and he has often permitted the moft
flinging kinds to fall upon his hand, or into his bofom, to the great
admiration of the negroes, as well as of the white inhabitants.
The worms of the Scarabeei refemble that of the Englilh Cock
Chafer, and all live in the earth. Their bodies are generally white,
with black or brown heads, the different Ipecies differing chiefly in
fize. The larva of the Cerambyx genus, and thofe of thzL ep tu ra ,
all nearly agree in lhape and colour. They live in trunks of trees,
often immediately under the bark. Both the larva and pupa, however,
of Cerambyx coriarius, refemble thofe of Scarabai. The Coc-
cinella and Chryfomela in their early ftates are much like thofe of
Europe.
Mr. Abbot defcribes as very curious the caterpillar of the fmall
lantern fly, found in rotten wood; but he has not mentioned the
fyftematic name of the perfect infect. This larva is about an inch
and half long, ftiining throughout its whole body like phofphoric
touch-wood, or the light of the moon. It is rarely met with; but
the fly, though not very frequent in the day, is in fome warm nights
fo plentiful, that the woods appear full of {parks of fire. Its light is
emitted by a dilatation or elongation of the abdomen, the fliining
matter being lodged in the two laft rings; fo that, when thofe rings
are contracted, the infect is no. longer luminous.
Vll
The worms of the dragon-fly genus are, both in lhape and colour,
like the Englilh ones. Moft of the different fpecies Mr. Abbot ob-
ferved to undergo their transformations throughout the whole fum-
mer.
The following work however contains only what relates to fome
of the more rare and curious Lepidoptera. Mr. Abbot’s accurate
illuftrations of thofe muff render his farther remarks upon infects
extremely defirable.
J. E. SMITH.