The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-07-15
A LANGUAGE OF FLAME
PIN Signals Exchanged by 1lll
" Luminous Insects and
Ta Fishes of the South. TT

.&CE HE trainman who at night
D@ Z swings his lighted lantern
9 9 high in air, sending def
Z mite message to the engl-
TC~ neer several hundred yards
dangerous shore; the man who flashes
rom ship to ship or from ship to land
/ beam Of light, all afford interesting
examples of the adaptation by man of
remarkable signal language possessed
Ind employed by many animals that
ire voiceless or without other means
,f communication. That this language
Will ever be translated or perfectly
understood is very doubtful, but the
act that it is language Is sufficiently
'cmarkable TO those familiar with it
md who have watched the marvellous
Iignals flashed across field and pasture
II the lands where the lightgivers
i've.
That light Is signal the doubter
.an easily determine by taking one of
he large beetles so common in the
south and holding it up to an open
window at night, when the signal will
)e answered by some free lightglver,
who responds to the call and hovers
lbout with brilliant illumination. Re
.ently the writer watched the brilliant
luminous beetles in Texas. AS night
.ame OH and the darkness became more
intense. flashes of light appeared here
md there, like diamonds against a
)lacl; sky, then as meteors flashing
tcross the field of vision. followed by
,thers, until Il verltable rain of fire
lppeared as swarm of lightgivers
larted in given direction. 1t occurred
% some one to capture one of these
ightgivers, and, as previously de-
icribed, expose ii before an open win
low, as one would hold a lantern. 1t
vas not long before the signal was an
,wered; another lightglver from out of
he darkness flew toward it, demon
'trating beyond question that the in
sect had sisnaled aud had been an
iwered.
The nature Of these signals or fash
lights Is not we'll understood, but IN
7arlety, color, and power they are re-
Tarkable. There are over fourteen
different species of Lampyrus which
possess this language of light, found
n the Southern States. on the Islands
of Cuba. jamaica and Santo Domingo.
especially the latter, in all their beau
ty. Some appear to give Il permanent
light; in others, it Is fitful, all phases of
change being observed. In these in
sects the light is situated in the last
segments, and it is so powerful that
when 1t is turned on" at full pres
sure" the entire surface appears to be
illumined, blaze OF light. The lights
differ in color. One beetle flashes n
CLEAN of rich orange when flying, but
under artificial light it appears to be
yellow. This is not constant, but III
termittent like the fash of light
house. In one known as Photuris
versicolor the light is a remarkable
imitation Of some lighthouses.
1t appears as minute spot, increas-
Ing gradually in volume and beauty,
until 1t bursts forth in all its splendor
to gradually fade away and disappear,
being entirely under the control of the
Insect. This light is Il brilliant green,
and that it conveys some meaning Is
well shown by experiments, in which
the light was responded to by other
individuals. 1t might be assumed that
the lights are possessed by the male
alone, but such is not the case, both
sexes having them. In some the light
emitting organs are larger in The male
than in the female. Thus in the one
known as photinus the light appears
to cover all the lower or ventral seq
ments, from the fourth to fifth inclu-
slve. In the one known as Lampyre
the light in the female appears to be
steady. while in the male it is variable,
and ut its full development Il, splendid
brilliant green light.
The larva or imperfect form OF some
of these insects is remarkable for lis
lights, one having three-one upon the
head. one at the tail. and the third at
the base OF the head and prothoraX-so
that from any position the little crea-
ture could exhibit its signal. There is
also a difference in the time of eX-
posure, suggesting the heliograph
which flashes its signals. An observer
counted the flashes of Luciola and
found that there We're thlrty-slx min.
ute, each flash lasting about one-fourth
of Il second.
The insect collectors OF Vera Cruz un.
derstaId SO well that the lights are
signals that they employ light to cap
ture the beetles. A burning coal is
fastened to the end of long stick, |
which they wave to and fro, In a short
time attracting the fire flies, which are
easily caught in hand net The larg-
est of these lightglvers is Pyrophorus,
and those observed by the writer emit |
ted wonderful green light, so vivid !
that by holding 1t close to printed mat. |
ter the latter could be read. The sig |
nails or lights are yellow spots just
back OF the eyes, while another light |
CLEANS from the first abdominal seq
ment Even the eggs OF this insect are
emitting blush light. That |
the light has a definite meaning as q |
sign language of nature is shown by |
Its almost universal presence among a
large number OF animals which cannot |
utter sounds. A certain eentlpcde, |
often caught by the writer, has light |
at its hend and one at the tail which |
gleam like emeralds. The insect is al !
most invisible 10 the naked eye, yet SO
brilliant Ia the Light omitted by severaI |