The Van Buren press., 1896-07-04
MExlCO'S GIANT FlREFLlES.
As Big as Chinese Lanterns, and Some
times They Explode Like Bombs

times They Explode Like Bombs.
Mr.. Milo F. Dillman, of Denver, on his
way home from southern Mexico re.
Gently said;
Il have been in Mexico a great many
tiNes, bat the trip | have just completed
eonvinces me that many wonderful anG
beautiful things in that republic are
not known by Americans, and indeed
by few Mexicans.
THE country from the beautiful city
of Morelia to the Pacific coast, is para.
disc land. Before reaching the coast we
passed through every cline and Yegeta.
ton. The mountains and forests arc
filled with eagles, parrots, tucanos,
humming birds, of which there are SO
different varieties in Mexico, enormous
tigers, lions, bears, panthers, wildcats,
monkeys, etc. The monkeys are very
interesting, and we never tired OF
watching them swinging from the
boughs and chattering.
I'm this torrid country are the giant
dreflies Gampyridae gigantes), resem-
bling very little our common firef1ies,
The part of these giant flies in which
the light glows is ordinarily the size OF
baseball, but when angered or excited
the part enlarges to the size of a toy
balloon. The light shed is continuous
and steady. These immense frefiies are
obtained only with great difficulty, as
they are found in the almost impene-
trable depths of the primeval forest.
''frees of all kinds grow very close
together, ehokingly thick; creepers,
attain vines, and dense underground in
great mass bar the way and seem to
say: You can ram down a stone wall,
but you can't come in here. Upon
the rich soil is a tropical carpet of leaves
md rotten wood, that has been accumu-
lating for centuries. In only such
vegetation could the giant fireflies be
produced.
"Our party of six worked two days
ehopping n little way into the wood,
and there we waited for the coming of
night. | shall never forget the first
sight | had of the giant Lampyrdae.
a pair of them flew directly above us
two fiery globes that glowed in the
darkness like suns aflame. Then others
came within our limited vision, and
others and others, until tens of thou
sands of them lit up the forest. We
watched through the entire night. lie
WAS simply impossible to realize that
they were flies. They seemed like
Chinese lanterns or beautiful globes of
light moving magically through the air.
When they would see us the fires would
glow more brightly and greatly in
crease in size. This, we were told, was
one of natures provisions for the pro-
lection of the flies, it being we'll
known fact that reptiles and beasts are
afraid of fire. The fire of the male is
| blue and that of the female Is green, and
each changes to flaming red as the
6reball enlarges. They fly in pairs, and
the sight of innumerable blue and
green fire globes, changing suddenly to
immense spheres of red light, floating
hither and thither, amid the muttering
Of monkeys and the restless moving OF
tropical birds, is beyond description.
Every hour through the night all would
come together and rest upon the boughs
| on the trees. MS WIS IhuINclouSly
beautiful. Gracefully dropping rows of
alternate green and blue lights-and
| from them as they rested came hum
ming sound--a sweet musical song. 1T
often happens that other insects at
tack the flies, and the fire globes swell
up to such a size that they frequently
burst with report like pistol.
"The uses to which these flies may be
put are many. Ten thousand had been
gathered when / was there, for tho
| Cinco de Mayo celebration at Uruapan
md Coalcoman. The parties having
the matter in charge proposed to
have them tied by strings, which, when
pulled, would irritate the flies, causing
them to change from the blue and green
lights to red lights as large as cannon
balls. Designs were formed of these
! lights representing the faces of Juarez,
len. Diaz and others. The celebrations
took place on the 5th inst, and were in
lescribably beautiful. The illumina-
lions were kept up for several hours,
when the flies were made excited by vio-
emily pulling the strings, when thou
sands of them burst, with a noise like
he explosion of steam boiler
an Morelia one night upon my re-
urn noticed several young men on BIZ
,ycles, to which were attached several
If the blue and green flies that lit up
he pathway before them in glare of
beautiful light. San Francisco EX-
press.