About the garden, hundreds of the insects were confined in delicate glass globes, which without emitting much light, added to the charm and novelty of the surroundings. In Vera Cruz these beetles are so commonly used as toilet ornaments that they form an important article of trade; and the natives make a business of catching them, and in a way that would seem to show that the lights of insects are their means of recognition. The fire-fly hunters provide themselves with long sticks, upon the end of which is fastened a burning coal. This waved in the air attracts the light-givers, and they are entrapped in a net. They are then placed in a box covered with a wire netting, bathed twice a day in tepid water, and at night fed with sugar-cane. The insects utilized in this curious manner are fire-flies,--distinguished from the lightning-bugs by the steady glare they produce. And that the lights of these Elaters, as they are scientifically called, is intense, and of practical value in other ways, we may realize from the statement of Professor Jaeger, who says, “I feel particularly grateful to these little insects, because, during my excursions in St. Domingo, they were frequently the means of saving my life. Often has dark night surrounded me in the midst of a desert forest, or on the mountains, when the little animals were my only guide; and by their welcome light I have discovered a path for my horse, which has led me safely on my journey.” If a number are confined in a glass, they emit sufficient light to read by.