Archive image from page 288 of The descent of man . The descent of man : and selection in relation to sex descentofmanseledarw Year: 1874 INSECTS. 275 excrescences on the discs of the posterior pair.' In several Brit- ish butterflies, as shown by Mr. Wonfor, the males alone are in parts clothed with peculiar scales. The use of the bright light of the female glow- worm has been subject to much discussion. The male is feebly luminous, as are the larvae and even the eggs. It has been supposed by some authors that the light serves to frighten away enemies, and by others to guide the male to the f
Archive image from page 288 of The descent of man . The descent of man : and selection in relation to sex descentofmanseledarw Year: 1874 INSECTS. 275 excrescences on the discs of the posterior pair.' In several Brit- ish butterflies, as shown by Mr. Wonfor, the males alone are in parts clothed with peculiar scales. The use of the bright light of the female glow- worm has been subject to much discussion. The male is feebly luminous, as are the larvae and even the eggs. It has been supposed by some authors that the light serves to frighten away enemies, and by others to guide the male to the female. At last, Mr. Belt'' appears to have solved the difficulty: he finds that all the Lampyridse which he has tried are highly dis- tasteful to insectivorous mammals and birds. Hence it is in accordance with Mr. Bates' view, hereafter to be explained, that many insects mimic the Lampyridse closely, in order to be mistaken for them, and thus to escape destruc- tion. He further believes that the luminous species profit by being at once recognized as un- palatable. It is probable that the same explana- tion may be extended to the Elaters, both sexes of which are highly luminous. It is not known why the wings of the female glow-worm have not been developed; but in her present state she closely resembles a larva, and as larvae are so largely preyed on by many animals, we can un- derstand why she has been rendered so much more luminous and conspicuous than the male; and why the larvae themselves are likewise luminous.
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