The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-17
ELECTRIC LIGHT BUG AGAIN.
Now He Is a CannibaI and Carries a
Pump Full OF Poison.


Beware OF the electric light bug.'' He
looks innocent, but is armed with "a poi
sOnous hypodermatc syringe! He ap-
peared last evening in the wake Of a noe
turnal cloud Of insects.
Shortly after s o'clock millions Of little
green grass flies made merry with the
electric lamps everywhere downtown.
1t was the first visitation this summer
OF this animal whose characteristics are
a grass-green color. Omnipresence and a
fondness for electric lights. At the Coates
house the guests sitting on the sidewalk
were quickly covered with them and He'd
The lights were turned out which was
wrong move because a million insects
at once few indoors and penetrated
everywhere Many show windows on
Main street were so thickly covered with
insects as 10 Obscure them entirely.
DR.. Theodore William Schaefer told an
interesting story about these sudden visi-
tarions of insect swarms. He said:
This flying, futtering. squirting mass
around the light is simply a love-dance
of the insects, which has an unhappy
ending for some Of them. The male in
sects are the most beautiful in color and
omit the lOudest sounds. There are some
insects that are not out for fun, but are
eagerly huttering about trying to catch
other insects, cannibal fashion, for a late
supper"
II is not generally known that the big
fellow called the electric light bug"-OT
properly called the American BelOstoma
lis poisonous. DR. Schaefer added.
Some four years ago I happened on
one Of my nightly chronological expe-
ditiOns, TO pick up carelessly a belostOma
which was struggling on the ground. Sud
denly felt a sharp pain running up my
left arm, starting from my middle finger
and l was obliged 10 drop 1t a once. The
finger smarted me for a few days. Later
on l carefully caught another belOstOma
and examined him more closely. / found
that he possessed a piercing. dagger-like
beak. provided with poison glands. which
operate on the principle of hypodermatiC
| syringe"
This mastodon bug was unknown ex-
I'cept to entomoIogists until a few years
| ago when he appeared on the streets al
night and was dubbed the electric light
| bug" II seems that he is an OmphibiOus
cannibal who has moved from the coun.
| try town and, instead of fishing for prey
| in the ponds Of the country, finds q richer
/ field around the electric lights. DR.
| Schaefer continued:
1.-The American belostoma, brownish
/ black in color, is a true orthodox bug ant
ibelOngs to the group of insects called he
| teroptera by entOmOlOgists. They have
/ two pairs of wings and are armed wifi
| large front legs, well adapted for catching
| and holding their prey. The four othe
/ legs are thick and fiat, like paddles, fO
| the purpose of swimming. In fact, tbs
| belostoma is by nature an aquatic bug
| but the nineteenth century electric Ugh
/ has reformed his mode Of living and h,
now takes nightly trips to the cities an,
| often stays there, being frequently kill
| ed by pedestrians who walk unconcerned
! ly over him.
Suddenly you see a very large-sizel
| bug-in fact larger than any one belong
| ing to the insect convention-making
| grand whirl around tbs globe of light
casting his large, dark shadow in ever
| direction. Madly he rushes against tn
| globe, which he strikes in his greed an
then falls stunned to the ground. In val
| does he try to run; he falls over an
! over, wabbling to and fro. At last h
| spreads out his wings and flies throug
the swarm Of insects looking for a ia
| morsel. This large insect in question /
the so-called electric light bug America
| belostoma, or Belostoma Americana, a
he is called by naturalists.
THE belostoma is a carnivorous bug
| living from insects, small fishes an
frogs. He grasps and clasps his victim
by means Of his strong forelegs and the
stabs his beak into them, permitting tn
poison to enter his prey, which complete
ly paralyzes the unfortunate captive, anC
adding the finishing touches to 1t, h
greedily sucks out its blood"