In other species the male is the more brilliant, or the sexes do not differ greatly in this respect, each one lighting its “amorous fire” in the degree that nature allows it to—as no doubt our own male does too. Of this fact, which, in the light of Darwinism, might have been boldly assumed, there is no longer any doubt after Professor Emery’s interesting observations[149] on the Italian species _Luciola Italica_. These were made in the meadows around Bologna, where, having caught some females, the Professor imprisoned them in glass tubes and laid them down amidst the grass. In this situation, though smell as an attractive agent was excluded, males would come flashing to the glass, and, on the other hand, as soon as the lamp of any of these became visible, the female would kindle her own, if it had previously been unlighted. Arrived on the spot, the male would dash madly about the unapproachable female, who continued to light her lamp at him till another, and then others, arrived, when it is to be supposed that her favours were distributed. In the end there would sometimes be a dozen fiery rivals glowing and flashing round the tube. But though the female shot out her attractive beams with evident intent to please, it does not appear that she was the seeker in the business, since we hear only of males flying to the imprisoned females, and not of females pursuing these males. To such modest merit, therefore, as a nice distinction between different ways of attaining the same end may entitle her, the female glow-worm also is entitled. The light of the two sexes in the Italian glow-worm is described by Professor Emery as being the same in colour and intensity, but differing in some other respects. The flashes of the male, for instance, are more quickly recurrent, whilst those of the female gleam out at longer intervals, but last for a longer time. They are, also, more tremulous, as well as more restricted, though what is meant by this last expression, since the brightness is said to be equal, is not quite apparent. Possibly it may imply that the light proceeds from a lesser area of the body, but, if so, this should be clearly stated, even in a _résumé_. I can find no reference to such a fact, if it be one, in the text-books.