if Gatti fei ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY NEw YorK STATE COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND HoME ECONOMICS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY Ww University Libra QH 531.H ss Tih ular account of phosp wn i mann Cornell University The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003091869 LIVING LIGHTS PLATE XVII. a | na Lol A a 4 4 4 a {o) it é Ay MARVELS OF ANIMAL LIFE SERIES LIVING LIGHTS A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF PHOSPHORESCENT ANIMALS AND VEGETABLES BY CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER FELLOW OF THE NEW-YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ETC.; AUTHOR OF “ELEMENTS — OF ZOOLOGY,” “MARVELS OF ANIMAL LIFE,” “THE IVORY KING,” “ WONDER WINGS,” ETC, ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 1892 Lh. CoPpyRIGHT, 1887, 1888, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS. og. q bt. TO MY FATHER, THIS VOLUME I8 GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED, IN REMEMBRANCE OF DAYS PASSED AMONG THE LIVING LIGHTS . OF THE OUTER REEF. PREFACE. —— ii lige object of the present work is to interest young people in natural history by the presentation of an attractive — indeed, marvellous — phase of nature, and to encourage healthful outdoor observation, as well as habits of investigation. The subject chosen for this work — that embracing the phe- nomenon of luminosity in animals, plants, and inorganic matter, and especially those that seem intended as illuminators of the ocean —is one which has ever possessed a fascination for the author. During many years spent on Southern shores, in constant asso- ciation with the most attractive features of marine life, the remem- brance of the splendors of the night festivals of these wondrous ocean forms is most enduring. No fairy tale of human invention can relate to us more fascinating scenes than are realized in Nature’s carnivals of the sea. Not only is the surface of the ocean, when lashed into foam by the tempest, luminous, but the greater depths, where the water is cold, near the freezing-point, and subject to pressure so great that instruments of glass are shattered and reduced to powder, abound in living lights. And this abyssal region, covered by miles in depth of water, and which was formerly considered to be the most desolate region upon the globe, is inhabited by light-givers of marvellous beauty and brilliancy. The little Malacosteus, with its gleams of yellow and green; Stomias, with sparkling side-lights; the dazzling effulgence of Pyrosoma; the comet-like glare of Medusc, with their tints of vii eal viii PREFACE. many colors, — present a series of wonders which must excite the admiration of the most indifferent observer. In the United States, there are ten thousand enrolled young nat- uralists, comprising the Agassiz Association. As one of a com- mittee solicited to answer questions propounded by the young people, members of this association and of the Chautauqua Circle, I have often been surprised at the nature of the queries, which shows that this army of young observers includes many who are not merely collectors of curiosities, but are naturalists in the best sense. They are systematic inquirers, and working in the right direction to become scientists, should they continue. It is to these young scientists, their unscientific elders, and the boys and girls in general who have not yet had their interest aroused in Nature’s works, that this volume is addressed ; and if some infor mation is conveyed, while appearing merely to entertain, one object of the author will have been accomplished. The subject of phosphorescence is one which affords the widest field for investigators ; as, while the most careful-descriptions of the light-emitting organs have been made, the actual cause of ani- mal phosphorescence is unknown. Material for study is ever at hand ; the fire-fly courts attention at every summer door-yard, and the pools of beach and cove are illumined by ocean forms. Even the simplest experiments are of the greatest interest. I have read by the light of a luminous beetle, and have determined the time of night while holding my watch in the glare of ocean animals. Von Bibra wrote his description of the Pyrosoma by its own light; the shark of Bennett illuminated his cabin like a chandelier; photo- graphs have been taken by the light of luminous beetles and by phosphorescent plates; and probably the day is not distant when more important uses will be found for this wonderful light, which, in default of a better name, we term phosphorescence. It is found in the animal, vegetable, and the mineral kingdoms; in life and in death; in growth and in decay. It illumines, but PREFACE. te does not appear to consume, and without perceptible heat exists where ordinary combustion is impossible. From the nature of the subject, it is evident that illustrations of the phosphorescence of marine animals must be more or less conjectural; and those given, representing over fifty luminous forms, show as nearly as possible the probable effect produced. \As this work is scientific only so far as to secure accuracy, some "technical details have been omitted. To compensate in a measure, I have appended a fairly complete bibliography of most important monographs and papers on the subject, which may be of value to those who wish to pursue the subject in its technical relations. To render the work as popular as. possible, certain systematic portions necessary to the student are placed in an appendix, and referred to by number. The whole work is also thoroughly indexed. While the chief feature of the volume embraces the phosphores- cence of animals, it has been deemed advisable to include reference to luminous plants, minerals, and certain atmospheric phenomena, which, if not strictly comprehended under our title, will perhaps not be considered entirely foreign nor uninteresting in this con- nection. It is my agreeable duty to acknowledge here the courtesy and kindly attentions received from M. Raphaél Dubois of the Zodlogi- bal Society of France; Professor H. Filhol; Professor H. H. Giglioli, Director of the Zodlogical Institute of Florence, Italy ; Professor Carlo Emery of the University of Bologna, Italy; and M. Zenger of Prague, Hungary, who generously forwarded for my use their most recent papers on the subject of phosphorescence. , Lhave also to name with thanks for similar favors Dr. Gunther, | keeper of the British Museum, and acknowledge the value of con- tributions from the works of M. Quatrefages of the Institute of France. Cc. F. H. PasaDENA, CAL., July, 1887. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. STARS OF THE SEA. II. Tue METEORS OF THE SEA If. Fixep LUMINARIES OF THE SEA . IV. Luminous Ecu1nopErMs V. SUBTERRANEAN LiIGHT-GIVERS VI. Lamp SHELLS Vil. Ligurnine-Bues VII. Frre-F ies IX. LANTERN-FLIES X. By Cras-Lieur . ‘ : 3 ‘ z ‘ . XI. Seas or FLAME XII. Finyy Liegut-BeEsaRrers i é XIU. Finny Ligut-Bearenrs (SURFACE FoRMS) . XIV. Luminous Brrps anp OTHER ANIMALS. XV. Man’s RELATIONS TO THE PHENOMENON OF PHOSPHO- RESCENCE . XVI. Luminous FLOWERS XVII. VeEGETABLE Lamps XVIII. PHANTOMS XIX. Luminous SHOWERS XX. Tue UsrEs or PoosPpHORESCENCE APPENDIX . ‘ . . , ‘ ‘ ‘ : ‘ BIBLIOGRAPHY z . ‘ , ‘ é - INDEX 2. 2» © 5 © & Ww 8 103 108 116 121 127 140 144 160 169 179 185 PyrosomMa AND DrvErR (PLATE XVII.) LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Facing Title, SEa Bottom. 1,500 metres, or one-quarter of mile in depth . Facing Page 1 PLATE | ce “c Il, IIL. FACING Luminous ProtozoANs—LUMINOUs Portions oF Noc- TILUCA M. pe TussaN READING BY LIGHT oF PHOSPHOR- ESCENT SEA Lominovus SEA JELLY—LUMINOUS CORAL—PRUNING- KNIFE FIsH Luminous SEA JELLY AND MOLLUsK VENUS’ GIRDLE... . rake. td a APOLEMIA—CLEODORA—PRAYA. PAGE \ 11 13 15 43 List of Illustrations. FACING PAGE Puate VII. Burrow or Poouas—SeA PEN . 1... e+ = 39 «VIII. Luminous Star Fisnes. From 4,500 feet deep . 29 o IX. Luminous BEETLES, ETC. . . . © 2 © © * @ Mv ee X. ANAToMIcAL DETAILS. ©... 1 ee ee 53 ae XI. Luminous BEer.e, in burrow of Mole Cricket . . 59 “s OXIL. (ate: LANTERN REY... . 2. 4 « ¢ @ s @ » * « XIII, Luminous Musporooms—Luminous InsecT . . . ‘SSRN, SPIDER CRABS wo kw es Se & ew a eR eS ae XV. Luminous CRUSTACEANS. . . ... 2. a «« XVI. CHarn or Saups. ..., oar , nn an ** XVIII. Carasmopus — Sun-Fisa — PLaciopus— HaRPODON — BERYX . 4 2 «2 » «« XIX. Luminous Fisu. From depth of 8,100 feet . «« XX. Luminous Fish... ., List of Illustrations. PLATE XX, © XXII * XXIV © XXVL FAOING PAGE UMBELLULARIA—LUMINOUS FisH—SIIcIous SPONGE— Luminovs CoRALS—LUMINOUS CRUSTACEAN . . . 125 Luminous FisH. With two luminous disks, one emit- ting a golden, the other a greenish light, . , . . 133 Deer Sea ANGLER. ee a Bom 8 » . 145 Penican Fish. . . . , , >. . 155 Luminots WATERSPOUT . . . a F . s « 168 ' Luminosity oF Hrron’s BREAST bth ee Ge 109 eae eo depth, in Ss cs) is a ° i) < cI nm or one quarter of mile 4,500 metres, LIVING LIGHTS. CHAPTER L-. STARS OF THE SEA. . MONG the many revelations of modern science, none have a more absorbing interest than those relating to the illumination of the deep sea. Until within a few years the ocean has been a sealed book. The surface forms only were known; and it was assumed that, owing. to the enor- mous pressure, lack of sunlight, and consequent darkness, Nature, at least in the abyssal depths, was at fault, and this vast region was devoid of life and incapable of supporting it. Recent investigations, however, have shown the reverse, and that this great area, with its plateaux, its mountain ranges, and its isolated, coral-capped peaks, whose valleys are now known to lie miles in ocean depths, teems with living ‘forms, and, far from being the dismal realm we had sup- posed, is a region of surpassing wonder; which we may, in fancy, term that lower firmament, where float sparkling, ‘gleaming constellations, meteor-like disks and globes with trailing luminosity, single stars and nebule of living lights. The phosphorescence of the sea is no new discovery, and those who have visited the seashore at night must have 1 2 LIVING LIGHTS. witnessed this phenomenon. The region of coves and. beaches along the shores of Eastern Massachusetts, around Nahant particularly, is a favorable one for its full display. As the waves come rolling in upon the rocks, or upon the long, expansive shingle, in tidal measure, we see the foam- ing crest, seemingly igniting all along the line, more and more intense in brilliancy, when, with a roar, it breaks, masses of scintillating liquid upon the sands. We glide over the smooth portions of this sea, our boat leaving a golden train; and every dip of oar, or the dash of some affrighted fish, creates an equally vivid display. Even when not disturbed, looking down into the calm, clear depths, the same phenomenon is witnessed. Pale, ghostly forms are seen here and there, moving slowly about, while the seeming silvery atoms suggest the nebule of this submarine sky. ‘Deeper yet, the bottom shows weird splendors. The great kelps are bedecked with mystic lights, and gleam like diamond’s flash from ledge and rock. These wonderful exhibitions of submarine illumination are due to the presence of luminous creatures, or in some -cases to large animals swimming through immense numbers of small phosphorescent bodies, so appearing as light-givers themselves. In nearly every branch of the animal kingdom we shall find these diving lights; some marvellously brilliant, others glowing with dim rays, and all contributing often to won- drous illumination, far-reaching or circumscribed. If the ocean which contains these wondrous forms should suddenly become dry, we should find that its contour is very similar to that of the land. There would be hills, valleys, plains, mountains, and seeming river-beds where currents LUMINOUS PHOTOZCANS, Noct'tuca miliaris Noctiluce (magnified 190 diameters). (in milk). N. miliaris (slightly magnified). STARS OF THE SEA. 3 have flowed; and so sharply are these defined, where grow- ing atolls and reefs abound, one may stand —as I have often done upon those of the Florida reef — and drop a leaded line almost directly to the bottom in the clear blue waters. This submarine scenery would not show the rough and jagged outlines which are a characteristic of terrestrial mountain ranges. Nearly all prominences in water at a con- siderable depth are well rounded off by a coating of fine ooze, formed of the minute and delicate shells of the globeri- gina, one of the lowest organized of animal life. These little creatures live upon the bottom, or in the watery space above, and the ooze which makes the sea-bottom, in great thickness, is almost entirely made up of the dead and cast-off shells of these microscopical creatures. The chalk cliff of Dover, England, — that white headland which has given the ancient name of Albion to the mother country,—is an upheaved mass of the same material, once found in the ocean bottom, now elevated by some geological change, and hardened into chalk, which it really is. What a surprising monument, erected by Nature’s processes from the myriads of bodies of her most minute and most simply organized animals! . The familiar modern term “ protoplasm ” represents what is know to be the simplest form of life; scarcely more, seemingly, than a bit of jelly, without form, and we might say void of organization, for it is alive, and yet has no nerves, no organized vessels which we can perceive, but exists in our pools as the least organized animal known. There is a species which belongs to one of the numerous kinds or groups of this the first and least perfect of the animal kingdom, which has also the great distinction of being the best known and most brilliant of marine light- 4 LIVING LIGHTS. bearers. This is the Noctiluca, or, as its name implies, the night-light. This little creature, but little more than visible to the naked eye, is the largest of the so-called infusorians ; others of this group of animals requiring the aid of a microscope to determine the form. It is but little more in structure than the bit of protoplasm, or simplest organ- ism or animal known. It looks when magnified — its natural size being about that of a pin’s head—much more highly organized than the others, by being almost a complete -globe, and provided with a whip-like process or member. It is also veined somewhat, and reminds one of a currant or gooseberry. Now, it is often noticed that the smaller the animal, the more numerous; indeed, also, the more numer- ous its progeny. We may well be prepared, then, to hear that these minute creatures often swarm on the ocean surface in myriad masses. Fig. 1. of Plate I. represents the Noctiluca magnified one hundred times. Fig. 2. of the same, represents the appear- ance of the creature when luminous, and only slightly magnified. The long lash which extends from the side is the locomotive organ. It is attached to the body near what is supposed to be the mouth; though these creatures are so simple that many kinds, just below in organization, have no definite mouth nor stomach, but absorb food from any surface of the body which comes in contact with it. This infusorian and most potent of living lights, albeit of extreme minuteness and simplicity as an organism, is abundant in the ocean along the European shores, and is often seen in our north-eastern waters, notably off Portland harbor and along shore to Cape Ann. I have enjoyed the privilege of witnessing the fullest glory of this little crea- STARS OF THE SEA. 5 ture’s effulgence. In our so-styled ocean firmament these living asteroids shine forth in those waters, and rival, if not excel, in light-giving any other known creature. In the endeavor to study the mysterious lights, I spent considerable time on a rocky point which jutted out into the sea, at Ogunquit, Me., with my microscope at hand, as near as possible to the water; thus examining them while comparatively fresh from the sea. In taking up the little creatures, they assume a pear shape, from contraction, — the only evidence, seemingly, of life, but blazing with a flashing light over their entire surface. We had the advantage of having specimens fresh at hand, yet there are certain appli- ances indispensable for such work which we did not have, and, therefore, could not then perfect our dissections suffi- ciently to get satisfactory results. We must refer the reader, therefore, to the experiments detailed in the Appendix. In watching the light of the Woctiluca, we are reminded of the flash-light of a light-house,—the gleam appearing and disappearing with considerable regularity. It is difficult to trace the light to any particular portion of the body. In Plate I., Fig. III, is shown the supposed luminous organs, which would seem to show that there are luminous spots. Sometimes the light seems to pervade the entire body; again, to be in the outer skin or cuticle. When the light appears after an intermission, the spots referred to become luminous first, the light extending to the outer surface. The conditions most favorable for respiration produce the greatest exhibitions of light; thus, if the water is constantly aérated, or disturbed so that the air has access, the gleam is intensified. If the animal is touched with the point of a needle, the light is quickly visible; and just before death it 6 LIVING LIGHTS. is continuously luminous, the phosphorescence disappearing just after dissolution. Experiments have shown that in a vacuum the light diminishes, — carbonic gas producing the same result. Humboldt refers to his luminous appearance after bathing in water abounding in Noctiluce; and among the curious experiments might be mentioned one where print was read by a gobletful of these little creatures which rendered them living lamps, literally. M. de Tessan, a French observer, has recorded a phenome- enon, which, I should judge, was due to Noctiluce, with perhaps the additional light of other forms. The accom- panying picture on plate IT. was made from his description, showing the light, and people upon the shore endeavoring to read by it. He writes: “On the 10th of April, in the evening, the sea in the roadstead of Simonstown, Cape of Good Hope, presented an extraordinary phosphorescence of a most vivid character. At whatever points the phos- phorescence was greatest, the water was colored on the surface as red as blood; and it contained such an immense quantity of little globules that it had the consistency of sirup. A bucket of water taken up at one of these points, and filtered through a piece of linen, left in the filter a mass of globules greater in volume than the water that had passed through; in other words, the globules constituted more than half of the whole quantity of sea water taken up in the bucket. Viewed under the magnifying-glass, these globules presented the appearance of little transparent and inflated bladders, having on their surface a black point surrounded with equally black radiating striw. ... The least agitation or slightest contact made them throw out a vivid greenish light.” PLATE Il. M. DE TESSAN READING BY LIGHT OF PHOSPHORESCENT SEA. STARS OF THE SEA. 7 As the waves washed in, M. de Tessan describes the light as appearing like the vivid flashes of lightning. “It lighted up the chamber that I and my companions occupied in the house of Mr. Ball, though it was situated more than fifty yards distant from the breakers. I even attempted to write by the light, but the flashes were of too short duration.” When a vessel is ploughing through masses of these animals, the effect is extremely brilliant. An American captain states that when his ship traversed a zone of these animals in the Indian Ocean, nearly thirty miles in extent, the light emitted by these myriads of fire-bodies, of which he estimated. there were thirty thousand in a cubic foot of water, eclipsed the brightest stars; the milky way was but dimly seen; and as far as the eye could reach the water presented the appearance of a vast, gleaming sea of molten metal, of purest white. The sails, masts, and rigging cast weird shadows all about ; flames sprang from the bow as the ship surged along, and great waves of living light spread out ahead, — a fascinating and appalling sight. The enormous quantity of Moctiluce in the water explains the intensity of the light. In experiments made at Bologne, one-seventh to one-half of a given amount of water taken up consisted of these minute light-givers, and Rymer Jones found thirty thousand in a cubic foot. According to Quatre- fages, the light of Moctiluce in full vigor is a clear blue; but, if the water is agitated, it becomes nearly, if not quite white, producing rich silvery gleams sprinkled with greenish and bluish spangles. Regarding the intensity of the light, a tube fifteen milli- metres in diameter, containing a bed of ‘Noctilucew at the surface twenty millimetres thick, emitted light sufficient 8 LIVING LIGHTS. to see the face of a watch and read the figures; and, if the little creatures were agitated, time could be ascertained at a distance of a foot. M. Quatrefages found that the most delicate thermometer was not affected by the light; and he assumes that it is not combustion from the fact that oxygen gas, when introduced, does not restore the light after it has disappeared at the death of the animal. His conclu- sion is, that the light is produced by the contracting of the interior mass of the body; and that the flashes, or scintilla- tions, are due to the rupture and rapid contraction of the filaments of the interior. The fixed light he explains as resulting from the permanent contraction of the contractile tissues adhering to the inner surfaces of the general envelope. Giglioli is especially enthusiastic over the light of the Mocti- luce and other forms; and to show its general distribution he says that in fifty-five thousand marine miles traversed by the “ Magenta,” the Italian exploring-ship, in four hun- dred and thirty-nine days, phosphorescence was observed more than half of the time. He met Noctiluce in the Bay of Naples, at Rio, in the Straits of Banca, while in the east coast of Asia; and at Port Jackson “the same milky uniform light was seen, without any green or bluish tint,” and again at Valparaiso. He observed, including Moctiluca miliaris, three luminous forms, all differing in the color of their light. The one observed on the Asiatic coast emitted a green light, and is called by M. Giglioli, WV. homogenea. The Pacific form, WV. pacifica, has a whitish luminosity, and differs from the others materially in form and structure. In many of the ports of tropical and semi-tropical America, it is the custom to bathe in the ocean at night, the warmth of the water rendering such recreation enjoyable. A gentle- STARS OF THE SEA. 9 man newly arrived at one of the places on the Pacific coast proceeded at night to take a bath, and, upon rising from the water, was astonished and amazed to find that his entire body was luminous, seeming covered with a coating of light, which he found originated from innumerable minute phosphorescent animals, which clung to his garments, and changed the water all about to a golden hue. A distinguished professor at Keil was, perhaps, the first to discover luminous microscopic animals.? The largest of these minute creatures is about one-eighth of a line, the smallest from a forty-eighth to a ninety-sixth of a line in size. Giglioli has made some interesting observations regarding the phosphorescence of the lowest class of animal life, the protozoans, and with his colleague, Professor de Fillipi, intends publishing the results of their observations? sv) LIVING LIGHTS. CHAPTER II. THE METEORS OF THE SEA. S the rushing comets dim the brightest luminaries with their radiance, so the ocean meteors, the moving medusee seem to excel in the glory of their light. . The sea-jellies are among the commonest forms of the sea- shore. In the summer months the silvery sands are strewn with their glassy disks; unattractive then, but, once launched and imbued with life, possessed of many beauties of form and color. They range in size from those almost invisible to the naked eye, to giants weighing, it is estimated, over a ton. Many have a complicated structure; yet, in nearly all, the solid parts of the animal rarely represents over five per cent of the whole ; and in specimens of a familiar northern kind, Aurelia, 95.84 is water. Little opportunity for light in such a creature, one would say; yet the simple jellies are num- bered among the chief illuminators of the upper region of the ocean. I have observed them in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and in the Gulf of Mexico, in waters of various degrees of temperature ; but, perhaps, the finest exhibition of their phosphorescence was seen off Boon Island, on the coast of Maine. The ocean surface seemed fairly bespangled with these living gems, which appeared surrounded by a halo of light. Each tentacle seemed to glow with an intense PLATE III. LUMINUUS SEA JELLY. LUMINOUS CORAL (Thaumantius.) PRUNING-KNIFE FISH. THE METEORS OF THE SEA. 11 white heat; and, at a short distance, the streamers resembled delicate lace, wrought in curious designs. Peering into the depths, they appeared everywhere, moving in all directions, surrounded by the mysterious light whose office it is difficult to conjecture. The vast numbers of medusce, and their importance as light-givers, may be realized from the remarks of Giglioli, who states that their light was seen from the “ Magenta” over an area of forty-four degrees of latitude, and for nearly thirty consecutive days. During the day they sank into the greater depths, at night rising to the surface, and appearing -like moderator lamps. With their long groups of tentacles trailing behind as they pulsate through the ocean waters, they readily suggest the title, “‘ Meteors of the Sea.” With few exceptions, the sea-jellies are light-givers. The giant Cyanea, — one of which was measured by Mrs. Agassiz, and found to be nearly six feet in diameter, and to have tentacles over one hundred feet in length—emits a pale, greenish light; and, if the entire mass is luminous, it must present a wondrous appearance as it moves through the water, like a gigantic meteor. As large as this giant is, weighing many hundred pounds, it is produced from a deli- cate little creature which would hardly be noticed by the casual observer. One of the commonest forms along the New-England coast is a diminutive jelly,4 seemingly blown in glass by some skilful worker. As it moves gracefully along, it emits a light of a deep aurelian blue, vast numbers imparting a metallic glitter to the water. On some calm night, about a rocky point where the current flows silently along, myriads of these wondrous 12 : LIVING LIGHTS. forms may be seen passing in review. Peering down into the depths from our boat, we may see’a pretty, shapely jelly-fish, called Zygodactyla, a golden ignis fatuus of the ocean waters; the WMelicertus, another of the same family, sur- rounded by a golden radiance; and a stately Rhizostoma, which Giglioli observed in fresh or brackish water in Batavia, emitting a fixed, bluish light; while Zina, Coryne, Eucope and Clytia, and a host of other exceedingly pretty sea-jellies, add to the glories of the scene. The delicate Thaumantius (Plate III., Fig. 3) and Oceanea are resplendent light-givers. The latter, according to Ehren- berg, being “surrounded by a shining crown,” while Pelagia illumines the deep sea by its mystic rays. Although we have established a rule to refer the most of the technical names, with the more scientific matter, ,to the Appendix notes, we are yet inclined to retain in the text, occasionally, some names which are especially attrac- tive. Thousands of marine animals have no other name but the generic ones given them by discoverers; but in many instances they are pretty, and there is no reason why they should not be used, as they must become the common name of the object,’ as well as its technical one. a ; Other known light givers are recorded in the Appendix,’ —all forms of the greatest delicacy and beauty. - Of a brilliantly phosphorescent form,® Professor Alexander Agassiz | says, .“ When passing through shoals of these meduse, ranging in size from a pin’s head to several inches in length, the whole water becomes so wonderfully luminous that an oar dipped in the water up to the handle can be seen plainly on dark nights by the light so produced. The PLATE IV. LUMINOUS SEA-JELLY AND MOLLUSK. Beroe foreakii. Cranchia scabra. THE METEORS OF THE SEA. 18 seat of the phosphorescence is confined to the locomotive rows; and so exceedingly sensitive are they, that the slight- est shock is sufficient to make them visible by the light emitted from the eight phosphorescent plates.” Professor Agassiz also states that the Lucernaria’, a hand- some green sea-jelly, emits a peculiar bluish light of an exceedingly pale steel color. While all these forms are beautiful individually, their combined forces produce an array of splendors hardly to be described. Such pyrotechnic displays of Nature are best observed during the autumn, when the jellies are wrecked and stranded; the waves hurl- ing them in, and grinding them up upon the rocks, which . appear bathed in warm, lambent lights. At Spouting Horn, on the New-England coast, this lumin- ous water is forced through a small -chimney or crevice in the rocks, with a reverberating roar; sending skyward a column of gleaming water, that breaks in mid-air and falls in golden spray. In drifting along in a boat at this time, every movement of the oar produces the most astonishing results. A slight splash is followed by a blaze of light. By having a companion keep up a continuous motion of the water, I have almost been able to read the print of a newspaper by the light of these disintegrated forms. One of the most striking displays of this phenomenon I have ever witnessed was at the little port of Ogunquit, Me. Returning, one dark night, from an off-shore fishing excur- sion, I saw, as we approached the harbor, an irregular row of lights, apparently lanterns in the hands of friends. We hailed, and not until we were nearly in the surf were we undeceived. The rocks were lined with kelp; and, when the waves came in, the glowing, sparkling mass of meduse caught 14 LIVING LIGHTS. upon the weed, remaining, as the water left it suspended, a blaze of light, until the next wave broke. My companion, an old fisherman, had also been deceived by the lights; and we drifted there for some time watching these strange spectres appear. and disappear. __ The meduse differ in their methods of illumination. The Obelia, as a free-swimming disk, is non-luminous; but the stem, or trophosome, out of which it is developed, has a fluc- tuating light extending up and down its surface. In many meduse the light appears to be confined to the upper portion of the umbrella, to the tentacles, and to the margin of the disk ; but if an oar is thrust through it, or a freshly stranded jelly is torn and cut upon the sand, every portion seems to become more or less luminous.® . The little jelly-like creatures called “comb bearers,’ or Cleophoress are nearly all wonderfully phosphorescent. In- stead of moving as do the ordinary jelly-fishes, they have rows of comb-like paddles which move up and down in regu- lar measure as they float along. In the daytime the little fins gleam with gorgeous iridescent hues; while at night they are brilliantly luminous, even the eggs and embryos of some emitting light. The Beroé (Plate IV., Fig. 1) is the most familiar, but the Pleurobrachia is the most graceful. Drummond refers to these forms in the following lines, — “ Shaped as bard’s fancy shapes the small balloon, To bear some sylph or fay beyond the moon. From all her bands see lurid fringes play, That glance and sparkle in the solar ray With iridescent hues. Now round and round She whirls and twirls ; now mounts, then sinks profound.” Cspouaa 9ngseg) _ WIGUID SONDA— THE METEORS OF THE SEA. 15 So vast are the numbers of these and other light-givers in the northern seas, that the olive-green tints of the waters are due to them in the daytime. Mr. Scoresby, finding sixty-five of them in a cubic inch of water, summed up the interesting calculation, that, if eighty thousand persons had commenced at the beginning of the world (he refers to the popular, not geological, reckoning,) to count, they would barely at the present time have completed the enumeration of individuals of a single species found in a cubical mile. One of the most remarkable of the Ctenophores is the “ Venus’ girdle” (Cestus veneris), Plate V., Fig. 1. In shape it differs from all others of the class, as a comparison between it and the Beroé (Plate IV.), will show. It resembles in the daytime a silvery ribbon, or girdle, two or three feet in length, moving through the water by contractions of the body, rather than by the rows of combs that are found upon the edges. So delicate is this fragile creature, that it is almost impossible to remove it intact from the water. The mouth is in the centre, or equidistant between the ends; and on each side of it depends a short tentacle protruding from a sac. Opposite the mouth there is an otocyst, or sense-body. The combs, which are so conspicuous in other forms, are not so noticeable here, yet are well defined; and when moving along, and propelled by these gentle undulations, the Cestus is one of the most beautiful objects of the sea. At night this wonderful sea-ribbon develops a new charm, emitting, accord- ing to Giglioli, a reddish yellow light of singular brilliancy. The Ctenophores, from their phosphorescence and great numbers, offer an interesting field for study. Pleurobrachia® may be found in myriads upon our eastern shores in the autumn. IJdya™ attracts immediate attention by its won- 16. LIVING LIGHTS. drous coloring, having a deep roseate hue. After death, its phosphorescence appears to be intensified, and much of the phosphorescent display is due to it. In nearly all the Cteno- phores the light is erratic, flash succeeding flash, and seem- ing, according to Giglioli, to reside along the zone covered by the vibrating cilia, or little paddles. In the interesting group of animals known as Physopho- re, or bubble-bearers,.we find many light-givers of most remarkable form, in their structure reminding one of deli- cate objects in glass; and, according to Giglioli, all are more or less luminous. In the harbor of Gibraltar, he observed several beautiful forms, as Abyla, Diphyes,and Eudoxia; and in the Atlantic, in the latitude of Rio Janeiro, Vogtia, Praia (Plate VI., Fig. 2), Abyla, and Hudozxia were constantly encountered. These are all so fanciful in design, that they appear to be veritable fairy ships freighted with color-tints and gleams of light. Their luminosity is not scattered over the entire body as in many sea-jellies, but seems confined to fixed points, as in Hucope, a specimen of which, observed in the China Sea, seemed studded with brilliant emeralds, which appeared as marginal knobs at the base of the tentacles. In the Pacific, several species of Diphyes have been observed, their zooids ® brilliantly phosphorescent; but the hydroids of this group, so far as known, are not luminous. Many beautiful phosphorescent jellies can be observed, as we drift along, by using a small glass cylinder. With the finger pressed upon the top, lower the open end near the little creature, then remove the finger, when the jelly willbe drawn into the improvised aquarium. If the night is dark, the play about its delicate form will be found a rare study. Darwin refers to the beauties of the phosphorescent jellies THE METEORS OF THE SEA. 17 observed on one of his collecting-tours. He says, “ While sailing a little south of the Plata on one very dark night, the sea presented a wonderful and most beautiful spectacle. There was a fresh breeze, and every part of the surface which during the day is seen as foam now glowed with a pale light. The vessel drove before her bows two billows of liquid phos- phorus, and in her wake she was followed by a milky train. As far as the eye reached, the crest of every wave was bright ; and the sky above the horizon, from the reflected glare of these livid flames, was not so utterly obscure as over the vault of the heavens. . . . Having used the net during one night, I allowed it to become partially dry; and having occa- sion, twelve hours afterward, to employ it again, I found the whole surface sparkling as brightly as when first taken out of the water. It does not appear probable, in this case, that the particles could have remained so long alive. On one occasion, having kept a sea-jelly of the genus Dianea till it was dead, the water in which it was placed became luminous. . . . Near Fernando Do Norhona, the sea gave out light in flashes. The appearance was very similar to that which might be expected from a large fish moving rapidly through a luminous fluid. To this cause the sailors attributed it; at the time, however, I entertained some doubts, on account of the frequency and rapidity of the flashes.” To Spallanzani is due the credit of first calling attention to the phosphorescence of the jelly-fishes or sea-jellies; he having observed it in the Mediterranean jelly, Pelagia phosphorea, which is luminous over its entire surface. He subsequently made some interesting experiments with Aurelia phosphorea, a jelly-fish similar to one on our coast, and came to the conclu- sion that the light-emitting organs lay in the arms, tentacles, 18 LIVING LIGHTS. and muscular zone of the body, and cavity of the stomach; the rest of the animal showing no luminosity. The light seemed to proceed from a viscous liquid, a secretion which oozed to the surface. One Aurelia that he squeezed in twenty-seven ounces of milk rendered the whole so lumin- ous that a letter was read by the light, this being one of the first practical results of the investigation of marine phos- phorescence. Humboldt experimented with Aurelia aurita, and, having placed it upon a tin plate, observed, that, when- ever he struck it with another metal, the slightest vibration of the tin rendered the animal completely luminous. He also observed that it emitted a greater light when in a galvanic circuit. FIXED LUMINARIES OF THE SEA. 19 CHAPTER III. FIXED LUMINARIES OF THE SEA. E have examined and admired the movable and the moving luminaries of the ocean world, in the firma- ment of the deep, we may call it, —slowly moving stars of extreme minuteness, but great brilliancy, in one group, and the large orbs, more or less moving in erratic spheres, trail- ing in long lines of coruscating light, representing the lowest grand branches of the animal kingdom, the protozoans, and the vast colony of the sea-jellies, or meduse. We now come to the third chapter, which embraces those animals forming the grand branch of the animal kingdom which included in Cuvier’s time the radiated animals. All who have visited the N: ew-England shores, or those be- youd, farther north, or the warmer waters of our semi-tropical regions, have probably become acquainted with the soft and leathery forms, which, when seen undisturbed in the water, appear like flowers. For example, should we visit the de- lightful beaches and coves of Lynn, or Nahant, or Swamp- scott, the loved hunting-grounds of Agassiz and his disciples, we would see, on well-advised instruction from some one informed, what at first would suggest a moss pink in full bloom, nestled perhaps in groups, in crevice or open pool, among the crags or broken boulders. These are the com 20, LIVING LIGHTS. mon, and well nigh the only, representative of its family on our coast, within reach. Others there are, living in deeper water, within reach of a hand dredge, as work with such, in former years, well informed us. ‘These are beautiful and very showy, like large asters and zinnias. But we dwell upon the in-shore one because it is always at hand and easily obtained, if you know where to look; and it well represents the characters of the group. Time was, when, forty years since, if some medical doctor of the town, or some of that ilk, did not have a sort of half knowledge of the creature, no one about did. But a few years before that, scientists in Europe were quarrelling over the question, Is it a vegetable, or an animal? Dr. Marsigli, a nobleman, asserted that such were vegetable, with further seeming good argument that the creatures looked like flowers and nothing else, therefore they must be flowers of the sea, notwithstanding that a poor, but educated Londoner, by the name of Ellis, demonstrated in good round science that they were animals. The striking case of mistaken identity, with the force of nobility, carried it. But Ellis lived to see his theory prevail. Scarcely any in the whole range of Nature’s objects are more surprising and more beautiful. The Urticena nodosa is a form found off our shores, which is luminous; the light being confined to its teutacles, and to the soft portion near the summit. One of the most brilliant of this group of animals is the Llyanthus scoticus, a kind usually found in ooze, the tentacles appearing at the surface, and gleaming brightly, like the rays of some fixed star. Even when brought up on the dredge, these animals emit a brilliant light. Some of these sea-anemones are said to attach themselves ae FIXED LUMINARIES OF THE SEA. 21 to the shells of hermit crabs; and, if luminous, we may imagine the spectacle of the gleaming, living light-house, moving about at the will of the little crustacean, possibly attracting prey to it instead of being the warning beacon that we might suppose. The anemones being, as a rule, fixed, one naturally likens this one to a light-ship which is drifting about away from its moorings. The sea-anemones well repay examination and study, and thrive well in the aquarium, where their habits and develop- ment may be watched. As arule, they are fastened to the rocks by asucking disk. Some live in the mud; others float upon the surface, or are parasitic upon the great jelly-fishes. Some, as we have seen, ride about upon hermit crabs, or fasten themselves upon the claws of others; thus showing the greatest diversity in their life habits. The corals may be termed anemones which have the faculty of secreting or depositing lime, and among them are several which at times appear phosphorescent. The little cup-like Caryophyl- lia has been seen to emit a gleam of light, an idea of which is given in Plate III., Fig. 2. . The phosphorescence of reef-building corals has rarely been observed. Col. Nicolas Pike, our late consul to Mauri- tius, and an enthusiastic naturalist, informs me that he has witnessed the luminosity of their young. The account is so interesting an addition to the literature of the subject in general, that I give the colonel’s letter entire : — Brooxktyy, N.Y., December, 1886. Dear Mr. Hoitper,—I remember on one occasion, when sailing on the Indian Ocean, the night was dark, but the crest of every wave glowed with light. As our vessel moved swiftly through the water, dashing the foamy waves on each side of her bows, she left bright streaks 22 LIVING LIGHTS. of light that reached far behind us. Every undulation of the water was lit up with scintillating points of light; and the ocean round us was so luminous, it would for splendor vie with the finest pyrotechnic display. So intense was the glow, the hull and sails of the vessel were illuminated by it; and, as I gazed at the glorious spectacle, I was filled with wonder and delight. The scene changed constantly, sometimes less brilliant than others, then again every rope in the ship was lit up; this, I presume, from the animals being more or less numerous. At the same time, darting in every direction, could be seen numerous fishes, making distinct streaks of light. Luminous spots from one to two inches in diameter were observed some distance under the water. These were meduse. We captured many in our nets, and placed them in buckets of water on the deck, where they still continued to emit phosphorescent light. The grand scene lasted most of the night, and was faintly visible till dawn of day. In the year 1868 or 1869, as I was dredging and collecting on the reefs near Port Louis, Mauritius, I met with one of the most singular sights it is possible to conceive. My Lascar crew gently moved my boat over the reefs, so that I could see any object in the water. The day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky; but the bright sun shone down into the clear waters of the Indian Ocean, scarcely marked by a ripple on the surface. As the boat crossed over the shelving reef into deep water, what was my astonishment to find the depths alive with hundreds of millions of little creatures (which I supposed to be jelly-fish), actively moving about in the water, as far as the eye could penetrate. The little creatures, as they flitted about, emitted all the colors of the spectrum; the most brilliant diamond could not vie with the coruscations of light sent out by them. Such a scene must be witnessed to form any idea of its magnificence: the whole ocean was aglow with colored lights. I threw over my hand-net, and drew many thousands into the boat, which I placed in a large glass jar filled with sea-water, where I could examine them. They proved to be young polyps of different species of the reef- building corals. Those that I carried home were still luminous in the evening, and I thought I would pay a visit later, to see the effect at night; and it was truly great. The sea was one vast area of luminosity. The illumination extended for miles. Fishing-boats making for Port Louis harbor could be plainly seen a long way.off by the phosphorescent light ae FIXED LUMINARIES OF THE SEA. 23 caused by the disturbance they made in passing through the immense shoal of coral polyps. The sight was curious and interesting; it had the appearance of an immense meteor coming directly down on our boat, as they were all heading for the entrance of the harbor where we lay. The bows of the fishing-boats made a great disturbance as they struck them, and the luminosity was most intense; but, as the waves were thrown off from the bows at a wide angle, the disturbance continued, and the colored light from the little creatures formed a long streak from behind the boat, representing the head of a comet with a long tail. Imagine twenty or thirty of these boats all heading in one direction, and you may form a faint idea of the scene. The polyps were not alone, but larger animals were darting and gyrating about, sending out’vivid streaks of light. The phosphorescent light of these polyps is probably the effect of a vital action ; it appears as a single spark, like that of various insects, and is repeated at short intervals. In 1867 I passed through a belt of dark-colored water in a large stream. It had been observed from the masthead for sometime before we reached it: it proved to be a belt, of miles in extent, composed of animaleules. When taken up in a bucket, they gave out the strongest phosphorescent light I have ever witnessed. It required tho highest power of my microscope to define them, and they were of many species new tome. Our steamer, a side-wheel vessel, made a great commotion as we passed for hours through this belt of living matter. These belts or patches, covering vast tracts of the ocean, are not uncommon. They are often seen in the Indian Ocean after severe storms and hurricanes. They vary in color. I have seen them of olive green, of a yellowish tint, and often a dark blue. Once, after a spent hurricane at Mauritius, I passed through a belt three miles wide, of a deep purple, so much so it could be seen a long way from shore. Giglioli, the Italian naturalist, refers to the phosphores- cence of madreporic polyps as being quite different from that of other forms. He observed on the coast of Sumatra and Batavia, that, when the bottom of his launch grounded 24 LIVING LIGHTS. upon the polyps, a brilliant display of phosphorescence followed. Doubtless nearly all the Alcyonarian® corals are light- givers, and of great importance in the illuminating economy of the ocean. The Alcyonarians include the sea-pens (Pennatulide), and the sea-fans and the red coral of commerce (Gorgonias), and may be briefly described as animals which, as a rule, secrete a horny or calcareous stock, without the true divid- ing septa that we see in the corals proper. The Alcyonarians dredged by the “Challenger” were almost invariably brilliantly luminous, making the dredge appear as if red-hot coals were being taken up. The light of the deep-sea forms was similar to that of those dredged on shallow banks, where the phosphorescence is remarkably brilliant ; so that we can imagine the wondrous spectacle presented in these little known regions.!¢ _ The sea-fans and plumes, known scientifically as Gorgo- nias, are extremely common upon the outer Florida reef, and form the chief ornaments of these wonderful gardens of the sea. We have drifted over them by day and night, peering down into the depths, never wearying of the display. There were two forms within diving distance on the reef, —one, a rich yellow, reticulated fan; and the ‘other, a vivid lilac. On the yellow we often found a parasitic shell of almost the exact hue of the Gorgonia; so like it, indeed, that it would not have been noticed if the fan had not been closely examined, — an interesting example of a protective resemblance. At night these waters present a wondrous appearance, gleams of light flashing from every direction. Even the sand at the bottom seemed to give out fitful coruscations; FIXED LUMINARIES OF THE SEA. 25 while pale, dim lights told of rare medusce, — the phantoms of this world beneath the sea. The gorgonias emit, as a rule, a light of a beautiful lilac hue; and in some localities the bottom of the ocean is covered with similar forms, all gleaming with this vivid phosphorescence. Imagine a cornfield covering hundreds of acres, the ripe ears emitting a fitful, vivid lilac light, through which dart various animals, —the birds of this submarine region, — their passage creating a blaze of another hue; and some idea can be formed of this scene that conjecture only can picture. Sir Wyville Thompson states, that, when dredging in water nearly a mile deep off St. Vincent, they must have passed over an immense field of light-emitting gorgonias, as the trawls came up filled with a delicate form, “ with a thin wire- like axis slightly twisted spirally, a small tuft of irregular rootlets at the base, and long exsert polyps. The stems, which were from eighteen inches to two feet in length, were coiled in great hanks round the trawl-beam, and entangled in masses in the net; and, as they showed a most vivid phos- phorescence of a pale lilac color, their immense numbers suggested a wonderful state of things beneath.” Off our Eastern coast the little brush-like gorgonia, Aca- nella, has been observed by Professor Verrill to emit a pale light when brought to the surface. The Gorgonias are all important light-givers. Primnoa,! a brush coral, and Para- gorgia™ have become well known in late years by specimens brought up by the Gloucester fishermen on the Georges Banks. Even when dry and dead, they are extremely attrac- tive; the Primnoa being richly tinted with pink, while the latter has a reddish hue. . 26 LIVING LIGHTS. If we could descend into these depths, we would find a veritable forest, with branches seeming on fire; many of the coral trees being from ten to fifteen feet in height, and equally as wide, forming lanes and open pathways through which the fishes pass, bathed in the wondrous light. That this is not imagination is shown by the branches brought up accidentally and by dredges; some limbs alone being four feet in length, and stout in proportion. Specimens of these forms can be seen in most of our museums of science; some sent by Dr. Holder from the Florida reef to the Museum of Natural History, in Central Park, are surprisingly beautiful. More remarkable than the Gorgonias are the strange ani- mals belonging to Pennatulide,® known popularly as the sea-pens (Plate VII., Fig. 2), from the resemblance of some to a quill pen, —an abnormally large one, it must be con- fessed. One of the most familiar forms is Pennatula phos- phorea. When the animal is observed at night, and disturbed, it emits quite a brilliant light. In specimens observed at Oban by Professor Marchel, the more perfect females became vividly phosphorescent when the leaves were gently irritated. When the polyps were touched, they showed minute points of light, which appeared over the whole surface, in rapid, irregular coruscations. If one of these living pens can produce so interesting a display, what must be the sight upon the bottom, where myriads of these curious forms abound, either fixed or moving ! It is not impossible that the light-emitting faculty of sea- pens is under control; at least, they have their periods of darkness and light. If a specimen which is not luminous is disturbed, as we have seen, it immediately becomes so. If FIXED LUMINARIES OF THE SEA. 27 the long axial stem is pinched, a seemingly protesting light appears on the lowest branchlets nearest the stem, quickly spreading, as if the polyps were igniting. When all those on a branch have become luminous, the light begins to appear on the next, and so on in succession until the whole glows brilliantly. Four-fifths of a second occur between the stimu- lation and the appearance of the light; so that in a sea-pen six and one-tenth inches in length, two seconds and a fifth were required for its complete illumination. By pinching the top or opposite end of the colony, the same phenomenon resulted, but reversed. If a polyp at the end of a branchlet was irritated, light immediately appeared, passed to its neigh- bor, and so on; if a branch was touched at both ends, the light followed the act, and met in the centre. These interesting experiments, which were made by Pan- ceri, can be varied in many ways by those fortunate in securing a live sea-pen.9 . The sea-pen Pavonia™ is noted for its light-emitting prop- erties; and during the voyage of the English ship “ Porcu- pine” the naturalists on board had many opportunities for observing its display. Sir Wyville Thompson, who was in charge, says, “ Coming down the sound of Skye from Loch Torridon on our return, we dredged in about one hundred fathoms ; and the dredge came up tangled with the long pink stems of the singular sea-pen. Every one of these was em- braced and strangled by the twining arms of an Asteronyz,"4 and the round soft bodies of the star-fishes hung from them like plump ripe fruit. The Pavonarie were resplendent with a pale lilac phoshorescence, like the flame of Cyanogen gas not scintillating like the green light of some sea-stars,” but almost constant, sometimes flashing out at one point more 28 LIVING LIGHTS. brightly, and then dying gradually into comparative dimness, but always sufficiently bright to make every portion of a stem caught in the tangles or sticking to the ropes distinctly visible. From the number of specimens of sea-pens brought up at one haul, we had evidently passed over a forest of them. The stems were a meter long (over three feet) fringed with hundreds of polyps.” When the ship “ Venus” was lying off Simonstown, one of their boats passed over a forest of sea-pens in shoal water, which gave out a vivid light ; while, where the ship lay at anchor, other forms of phosphorescent animals illuminated the ports so that the men lay in them and read by the wondrous light on the darkest night. The Renilla™ is a rich purple species common on our south-eastern borders. Agassiz found it at Charleston, 8.C., and says of its phosphorescence, that “it emitted a golden- green light of wonderful softness.” Virgularia is an attractive form; and in certain portions of the Patagonian coast they have been seen, when left by the tide, emitting a light of great brilliancy.. Vertillum is an interesting genus, resembling a quill pen in which the feathers have been curled or singed. Its color is a brilliant orange; but in the darkness it develops a phosphorescence of great beauty, and so penetrating that a glass containing numbers of them has been used as a lamp to read by, —an interesting example of one of the possible, though not remarkably practical, uses of living lights to mankind. PLATE VII ' From 4,500 feet deep. oO & HH a i eo D> a3 a) 3 i=) zZ5 qa = B LUMINOUS ECHINODERMS. 29 CHAPTER IV. LUMINOUS ECHINODERMS. N the fourth grand branch of the animal kingdom, numer- ous creations are known which exhibit luminosity.. The Echinoderms, as they are termed, are not well known to those: who are not familiar with the seashore. To those who visit the marine beaches, one of the first objects that is met cast: up by the tide, either fresh from its ocean bed among the. rocks, or lying cast up high and dry amongst the vast masses of kelp, alge, and other marine débris, is a sea-urchin, —so’ called for want of a better name, although the spines with which it is powerfully armed give good color to the nomen- clature. The term Echinoderm is used to express all the kinds, as they have spines on the skin. As the arrangement of this division of Nature suggests, the creatures which are embraced here are next farther advanced in perfection of structure from the third, which includes the corals and sea- anemones. The animals are of most varied shape, exteriorly. most unlike each other, yet internally possessing a structure each characteristic of the type. ‘The sea-stars, forms quite as common as the sea-urchins which we first mentioned, are closely alike in structure, though so different in shape. Yet another form is seen in the celebrated. trepang, which is dried, smoked, and sold to the Chinese for food, —a great luxury to them. Small species are found-on our coast. 80 LIVING LIGHTS. In some of these creatures the luminous property has been observed, — which usually surrounds the entire animal, —a pale light, rendering the object a beautiful one against the dark background of the ocean bottom. It is needless to say that the human eye has not penetrated these vast depths ; but the ingenuity of the scientist has resulted in the invention of means by which the smallest as well as the largest of these strange creatures are dragged from their deep abode. Echinoderms are extremely numerous; on the Florida reefs we have often found it impossible to wade through consider- able areas, where a kind of sea-urchin having long, slender black spines was so numerous as to pave the entire sea- bottom, and in certain localities in Long Island Sound we have seen the bottom fairly carpeted with star-fishes. It is not surprising, then, that the dredges of the “Challenger,” “ Porcupine,” “ Talisman,” and other ships fitted out for scientific investigation, often came up loaded to overflow- ing with star-fishes, showing that the deep sea is equally populous with these living stars. These deep-sea forms, especially of the genera Asterias and Ophiura,® ave remarkable for their brilliancy, even when taken from their native element. When the bottom off the coast of Ireland was dredged by the “ Challenger,” an extraor- dinary number of luminous star-fishes were brought up from a depth of two-thirds of a mile. Several specimens are most noticeable for their brilliancy ;% they appear as if burn- ing internally with heat of great intensity. Even the mud about them was bespangled with luminous specks; and Sir Wyville Thompson says that in many instances every thing brought up in these waters was luminous. The light of one of the star-fishes was a brilliant green, and seemed to spring By o , LUMINOUS ECHINODERMS. 31 from the centre of the disk; flashing out now upon one arm, ‘again upon another, or suddenly illumining the entire star in a brilliant aureola of phosphorescence. This resplendent creature is especially common, according to Sir Wyville Thompson, off the coast of Stornaway and Shetland; and the nets, when hauled in, were often over- laden with masses of these gorgeous forms, which emitted a light of brilliant uranium green. Curiously enough, the young star-fishes exceeded the adults in the richness of their display. The gleams were not constant, but extremely erratic, appearing and re-appearing in a bewildering manner; and, according to the same naturalist, the most striking exhibitions were seen in very young ones. The star-fishes known as Ophiuroids are among the most abundant of deap-sea forms. On the “Challenger,” about several hundred species were brought up in the trawl from a depth of from half a mile to two and a half miles. In our own waters, two kinds have been observed to emit a light of singular brilliancy. Even more beautiful than these, as regards their luminosity, are the Brisingas,* one of which is shown with its light in Plate VIII., Fig. 1. This animal has nineteen long, snake- like arms, branching from a small central circular body. Its color in the daylight is a rich orange red; but at night, when taken from the dredge, it displays a vivid phosphorescence. This attractive animal was first observed near Bergen, Norway, by Charles Abjérdsen, who took a specimen in two hundred fathoms of water. Regarding it, he said, “it isa true gloria maris,” and gave it the name of Brisinga, one of the jewels of the Goddess Freya. The Brisingas have the faculty, common to many of their 32 LIVING LIGHTS. r allies, of casting their arms when touched; so that it is extremely difficult to take them intact. In lifting an Astro- phyton® from a branch of coral, we have had it drop into myriads of pieces; so that there was a mimic rain of arms upon the bottom. This we found could be avoided by mak- ing the transfer under water, and, when the “ basket-fish” was safely in the jar, killing it by the introduction of alcohol. As to the cause of the light in the star-fishes, little is known. Quatrefages, after a careful examination of an Ophiuran, came to the conclusion that the light emitted was due to muscular contraction; observing it arising be- tween the plates of the arms and not on the disk, where, however, it has been seen since his observations were made. Professor P. Martin Duncan found upon examining a speci- men, brought from the icy sea of North Smith’s Sound, by Sir George Nares’s expedition, that it had a delicate mucous envelope, which, he thought, in the young covered the plates and bases of the spines. In this filmy covering, he suggests, may be found the seat of the illuminating power. SUBTERRANEAN LIGHT-GIVERS. 33 CHAPTER V. SUBTERRANEAN LIGHT-GIVERS. N wandering through the fields in early morning, we often see little heaps of newly disturbed earth, and occasionally catch glimpses of reddish or pink bodies quickly withdraw- ing into little tunnels in the sod. ‘These are the earthworms, considered the humblest of all animals; yet, as insignificant as they seem, they are among the most valuable aids to the agriculturist. We may appreciate this by selecting a field at random in a good producing country, making a section down through the earth for several feet, when, if carefully done, we shall find innumerable tunnels formed hv the worms, leading here, there, and everywhere. In fact, the upper crust of the earth is an endless maze of streets, lanes, and avenues. A natural- ist has even attempted to calculate the number of these little workers, and bas come to the conclusion that they average one hundred thousand to the acre; and in especially rich ground in New Zealand it was estimated that there were three hundred and forty-eight thousand, four hundred and eighty in a single acre. This vast body of worms is continu- ally at work, boring this way and that, coming to the surface during the night, and retreating to greater depths during the day; and it is at once evident that their tunnels constitute * 34 LIVING LIGHTS. a system of irrigation and ventilation for the upper crust. In other words, rain, instead of running off, enters the holes, and so penetrates the earth, thus being held for a longer time. Air also finds its way below the surface; so that the homes of the little creatures constitute storehouses for moisture. But this is a very small part of the work accomplished. The worms are in league with the farmer; are, in fact, his unappreciated assistants, upon whose endeavors depends much of the success of his crops. They are continually ‘swallowing the earth, and depositing it at the surface, and working it over and over. If I should ask my young readers to estimate the quantity of earth brought to the surface in a single acre in a year,I fear they would not place the amount as high as Mr. Darwin, who states that the vegetable mould thus transported in some places amounts to ten tons an acre.’ Think of it! If your ten-acre farm is in one of these favored localities, these silent workers, say to the number of a million, have ploughed up about one hundred tons of earth for you, giving you a fine top dressing. The worms not only carry all this material to the surface, but they drag vast quantities of leaves and other matter down, that serve to enrich the soil and render it capable of producing larger crops. They cover up seeds and other objects to a remarkable extent; and a flat rock set upon the ground will soon become buried, through their means. Some of the most interesting parts of Roman villas found in Eng- land have been, according to Darwin, preserved in this way ; the worms undermining them, and gradually heaping soil over the walks and slabs, until finally, aided by other causes, they disappeared beneath the ground. SUBTERRANEAN LIGHT-GIVERS. 35 The earthworms of Australia attain a large size, — some- times several feet in length, —and have been seen climbing trees. Some casts found in India are a foot in length. The worms evidently live in complete darkness; but it is known that at certain times, and under certain conditions, they are luminous: so that a state of things may exist under the ground of which we have no conception, and the tunnels of these little creatures may be brightly illumined. We have never been so fortunate as to observe their phosphorescence, but Dr. Phipson says, “I distinctly remember witnessing, when a child, the phosphorescence of the earthworm. The light appeared connected with the mucus that covered the ani- mal’s body.” And other naturalists have observed the light under certain conditions. If they possess this property to a greater extent than we are now aware of, it must be a fatal gift, as the sharp little eyes of the mole, though not remarkable for their powers of observation, would probably catch the faintest gleam. These animals are continually upon the forage; and their appetites can be imagined from an actual experiment, which showed that two moles devoured in nine days 841 grubs, 193 earth-worms, 25 caterpillars, and a mouse, —skin, bones, and all! In the ocean depths we find that the marine worms, which constitute in the beauty of their appearance a magnificent assemblage, tunnel the upper crust of the bottom. Some years ago the moat or ditch surrounding Fort Jefferson, Fla., was pumped out, leaving a space nearly half a mile in extent, high and dry, which abounded in specimens that would have delighted the eyes of a specialist in any branch. Over this spot we had often, as a lad, enjoyed the venture- 386 LIVING LIGHTS. « some fun of riding upon the backs of the great sea-turtles, kept there for the commissaries’ use, had fished in every nook and corner, and now the opportunity was presented for pene- trating below the surface of the bottom. Some little digging showed, that, for a foot or more from the surface, the sand and mud was fairly alive with a variety of worms, numerous to an extraordinary extent, and in many cases beautiful beyond description. This condition of things is true, to a greater or less extent, in many localities ; the worms retiring to the mud and other retreats during the day, at night venturing out, and even swimming at the surface. If we take a drop of water from any ditch or pond, or even from the stem of a flower that has been standing in a vas, and place it under a microscope of even ordinary power, we shall find that it is a world of itself; a vast ocean, in fact, to the many forms that live there. Chief among these drop inhabitants, we notice numbers of little creatures that attract attention immediately. They resemble tall hats without brims, or crystal bags with fringed edges. And that they are busy bodies is at once evident, as they swim along at a won. derful rate of speed, eating as they go, keeping their fringes or cilia, which appear like so many arms, in perpetual motion ; now bumping against each other, forcing their way among crowds of different animals, and always appearing full of life and energy. These little creatures, invisible to the naked eye, are minute worms, or Rotifers; and among them we find some interesting light-givers. The Synachata is one; and others described by Ehrenberg, the largest being about one-eighth of a line in size, present a striking appearance under the SUBTERRANEAN LIGHT-GIVERS. 87 glass in a dark room, —the little bags, seemingly at a white heat, darting about in every direction. As small as are these wonderful creatures, they are well worthy of study; and even those not interested in natural history will find that the stems of their flowers, or the water in the vase, contain more wonders than they had dreamed of, —a single drop that can be lifted upon a pin-head being sufficient for the purpose. The little hat-like form, Hydatina senta, already referred to, is remarkable for the rapidity of its increase. The eggs are laid or deposited within a few hours of the time they are first seen within the transparent parent, and twelve hours later the young break from the shell and appear; so that in a comparatively few days the descendants of a single animal might possibly far exceed the population of the United States. The larger worms are with hardly any exception ornamented in some remarkable way, and in many the splen- dors of their decorations must be seen to be appreciated. The radiating coronets of Serpule® are of the most delicate and beautiful description, abounding in bands and markings of striking hues. Pectinaria has upon its head a pair of combs that might be burnished gold; while Hunicede and Nereide *! have equally resplendent decorations. These charms of color, and they are of great variety, are seen by day; but at night many of these creatures assume the gift of phosphorescence, adding to the long list of marine light-givers that have been previously referred to. In four other families are found the most beautiful light-givers cf the group. Assuming that we have a certain species of the first mentioned in the aquarium, we may prepare for an extraordinary display. It is now snugly coiled up under a 38 LIVING LIGHTS. stone, tae fast asleep, and giving no evidence of ‘its wondrous gift. Now ‘touch it with the narrow handle of the dip-net, and a seeming electric’ spark is given out. But there is no electricity here: the: light isa phosphorescent protest, and rapidly passes from scale to scale, until the whole animal stands out like a vivid shield of light Beeiash ‘the bottom, glowing with the mysterious flame. If the worm is greatly disturbed, we are presented with a unique method of protection. Upon feeling the blow or attack, the light becomes intense, and flashes quickly from segment to segment, and along all the series of elytra; and, as the animal darts away, one or more of the scales become disconnected and are left behind, a luminous spot,.to attract the attention of a possible follower, while the worm itself escapes. ; . , Nearly all the phosphorescent worms are rapid swimmers, and noted for their agile movements ; and, as their scales are very readily disconnected, we may imagine in some cases a worm darting off and leaving a shower of sparks behind. In these worms the light i is usually green. We. have seen that one of the deep-sea Crustaceans has ‘phosphorescent bands upon its feet; and in the Syllide, a family which contains some remarkable worms, we find that the luminosity is confined to the under surface of the ‘feet. In Cheetopterus a bright flashing light is emitted from the posterior feet, while a far more brilliant one glows at a point on the dorsum between the lateral wings of the tenth segment. The mucus of the animals appears to be the seat of the luminosity, and not only encircles the worm with an aureola of phosphorescence, but pervades the surrounding water with a rich bluish purple light, so vivid and brilliant PLATE VII. SEA PEN. (Pennatula.) Cae wy tne Hel 4 ° is] Ay fy o Ee 2 ie} i=) i) Ure Mi they i vif \ i if SUBTERRANEAN LIGHT-GIVERS. 39 that the medium in which the light-giver lives seems to have ignited, and to be slowly consuming its dependents. It has been noticed, according to W. C. McIntosh, that an ' odor accompanies this display, resembling somewhat that pro- duced by phosphorus in combustion. We have noticed that many worms have a peculiar odor when handled, though not quite of this character. The most brilliant of all these light-givers is Polycirrus, which emits over its entire surface a vivid pale-bluish light, _ marking it as one of the most beautiful of its kind; while Sagitta and many more add to the wonders in this generally considered uninteresting group of animals. 40 LIVING LIGHTS. CHAPTER VI. LAMP SHELLS. N all the forms previously mentioned, the phosphorescence is conspicuous; but in the little bivalve Pholas it is almost hidden. The shells of the family Pholadide are noted for their boring habits ; penetrating into the hardest stone, as granite and gneiss, literally entombing themselves, as shown in Plate VIL. Fig. 1, which represents a section of a block of granite into which the little animals have penetrated. How they can perform such a work, is something of a mystery; but the foot, which is provided with a hard dermal protection, is probably the instrument used by the miner. The most remarkable evidence of their work, according to Figuier, —though it is fair to say he has been disputed, — is seen in the Temple of Serapis on the Pozzuolan coast, where the pillars are perforated with holes, which this author claims were made by the Pholas,®> when by a sinking of the crust the pillars were under water; the columns, by a reverse motion, having now re-appeared from the sea, bearing the evidences of their submersion. As if to still further carry out the idea of the miner, the animal bears its own light, which, though vivid, could but little more than illumine the stony prison into which the Pholas has willingly ensconced itself. In Borneo, a fresh- LAMP SHELLS. 41 water form has been found boring in the dead trunks of trees. Pliny was probably among the first to placé on record the luminosity of this little borer, having stated that it shone in the mouths of those who ate it; and its phosphorescence has been studied by Réaumer, Beccaria, Marsilius, Galeatus, Montius, and others in modern times. One of Beccaria’s experiments was to ascertain how the light affected certain colors. He secured a Pholas in a dark spot, and placed in its light ribbons of various colors. The white ribbon shone most brilliantly, the yellow next, and the green next, while others were so indistinct as to be hardly noticeable. Sub- stituting liquids for the ribbons, the result was the same. Beccaria also made one of the first practical applications of the phosphorescent Pholas, demonstrating that it could be used as a lamp. This was accomplished by placing one in seven ounces of milk, which rendered the latter so luminous that print could have been read by it, the milk appearing almost transparent. So it is within the bounds of possibility to write a post-mortem description of the Pholas by its own light. It is evident from these simple experiments that the dis- covery of the secret of phosphorescence, and its’ practical application to the wants of mankind, would result in revolu- tionizing present systems, — a heatless, inexpensive, unextin- guishable light being the perfection of possibilities in this direction, — and it is not improbable that the experimentalists of olden times may have had this in view when making their investigations. Both Réaumur and Beccaria attempted to render the light of this animal lamp permanent. By placing one in honey, the luminosity was apparently preserved for a year, the light re-appearing whenever the mollusk was placed 42 LIVING LIGHTS. in warm water. Brandy extinguishes the light, and Galeatus and Montius found that vinegar and wine produced the same result. If the body of Pholas is heated slowly, the light gradually becomes more and more intense, until, finally, at 45° Réaumur, or 56° Centigrade, it disappears, and cannot be restored. The secure position of the Pholas in its impregnable fortress would hardly seem to require a warning or attractive light; and its use must remain a mystery, though theory could, of course, suggest explanations. While the Pholas conceals its luminosity in its dungeon, there are other molluscan light-givers which float about like light-ships astray. These are Pteropods, or wing-footed mol- lusks; delicate fairy ships of marvellous beauty. By some authorities they are said to represent the higher forms of the Cephalophora, while others consider them as degenerate or backsliding Cephalopods, of which the squids and octopi are representatives. They are pelagic, free-swimming mollusks, in which portions of the foot are modified into seeming wings, so that the little creature seems to fly through the water. They differ much in appearance. Some secrete a glassy, horny, cartilaginous or limey shell, which in some cases is only present in the larval forms, disappearing in the adult; while others, again, preserve it through their entire lives. The body is of various shapes: it is protected by the shell when present, and can be drawn into it. Though simple, helpless creatures, many have an arma- ment which in a larger animal would be considered ex- tremely effective. Thus in Clio each tentacle bears nearly three thousand cylinders, each containing stalked suckers; and, as there are six tentacles, the little animal can grasp its PLATE VI. 4 2 i) fal a) sf =i is) LAMP SHELLS. 43 microscopic prey with three hundred and ‘sixty thousand hands. Besides this, it has a pair of many-toothed jaws and a toothed tongue. While extremely small, these animals’ exist in such vast multitudes, that they probably constitute an important food for certain whales. One of the most interesting of the Pteropods, or wing-: footed animals, as associated with our present subject, is the. Cleodora lanceolata (Plate VI., Fig. 1). It has a pyramidal shell, terminating in three sharp spines, the wing-like fins rising above. It is rarely over half an inch in length, almost: transparent, and bears in its shell a small light, which, how- ever, is distinctly seen through the transparent covering. A more beautiful living lamp it would be difficult to ima- gine; and when slowly flying through the ocean, in countless myriads, they must present a wondrous sight. One of this genus, observed by Giglioli, emitted a very livid red light ; the luminous organ being at the summit of the shell. There. are many different genera and species. -Hyalea, an oceanic wing-foot, moves very rapidly, and looks not unlike a butter- fly darting here and there, in erratic flight, in search of food ; but the little Cleodora moves in a regular and stately manner. In Hyalea observed by Giglioli in the harbor of Anjer, Java, the light, which contributed largely to the general phospho- rescence, was confined to the basal part of the shell. , My young readers interested in geology are probably familiar with the curous Conularia, or cone in cone, which has been found in Australia sixteen inches in length, and has always been regarded a puzzle. It has been suggested that this is a gigantic fossil Pteropod. The little needle-like Tentaculites, from the Silurian and Devonian rocks, are’ also os allies. : 44. . LIVING LIGHTS. Some of the most remarkable mollusks are found among the sea-slugs, so called from their resemblance to the slugs of the garden. I have found them on the weed floating in the Gulf Stream, so resembling the latter in almost every par. ticular that it was difficult to determine that they were not a part of the weed itself. Scyllaea pelagica is such a form; helpless, yet finding protection in its mimicry of the sur- roundings. Equally as remarkable is Dendronotus,® the bushy sea-slug whose gills resemble the branches of weed in a remarkable manner. This curious sea creature is quite common on the seaweeds of our New-England beaches. In the Mediterranean and Pacific is found the most unique of the group, the Phyllirhoé’ bucephala (Plate V., Fig. 2), which differs from many so entirely that it would seem to belong elsewhere. Like the other forms, it is pelagic, often being seen swimming along, resembling a fish, with its com- pressed body, and vertical, fan-like tail, and with long feelers or tentacles ahead. It is transparent and shelless in the adult stage, possesses no foot or branchie, evidently breath- ing through the body-walls or general surface. To add to its curious features, the Phyllirhoé is brilliantly phosphores- cent; light being emitted from certain spots, shown in the 2ngraving, rendering the tissues transparent and luminous. Examination has shown that the light proceeds from certain globular nucleated cells, which appear to be the terminations of nerves. The Phyllirhoé thrives well in the aquarium, and has been studied and observed in the famous aquarium at Naples. When it is touched or is swimming, the light seems to diffuse the entire surface, so that it presents a striking contrast against the dark water; and undoubtedly this gift is a fatal LAMP SHELLS. 45 one, attracting the attention of many a fish to the dainty morsel seemingly outlined in fire. Giglioli refers to the luminosity of an undescribed Hetero- pod, the axis of whose body gave out a reddish light when- ever the animal was excited. According to C. W. Peach, the young of Holis are phosphorescent. Such instances where the animal is particularly defenceless are amusing refuta- tions of the theories of naturalists who see in the light a warning. The common garden slugs, the cousins of the snails, are well-known forms. They generally remain concealed during the day, coming out at night, and often doing much damage to vegetation which is largely laid to birds. I have kept many of them, and they offered an extremely interesting study. They secrete a remarkable amount of mucus, which they use in descending from a tree, just as a spider does its silk thread. The mucus exudes from the foot, passes along to the tail, when it is attached to the twig. This accomplished, the slug boldly launches itself into space, the thread becom- ing more and more attenuated, until finally, when the slug is near the ground, it is exceedingly fine. Nearly all our common slugs descend from trees in this manner, — quite a contrast to the slow, tedious ascent. The amount of mucus that can be taken from them is remarkable ; and that it is also protective will be evident to any one who may experiment with them. One genus, Phosphorax, found at Cape Verde, and, accord- ing to Duncan, at Teneriffe, has a luminous pore on the posterior border of the mantle. One species only is known, P. noctilucus ; and its light has not, that I am aware, been made the object of any extended investigation. 46 LIVING LIGHTS. The highest forms of the Mollusca, the Cephalopods, cuttle- fishes, are probably at times luminous. I have noticed what I presumed was a delicate, sensitive, luminous glow about an Octopus in a semi-darkened tank, but I am not satisfied to make the statement as fact. These forms are so remarkable for the waves of color that pass over them, and which seem to make them transparent, that one could readily be deceived. The little Cranchia (Plate IV., Fig. 2) is a light-giver, its phosphorescence having been distinctly observed. It is an ally of the giant squids, which have been found fifty-five feet in length, and which, if luminous like their pygmy rela- tive, would present a marvellous spectacle, darting veritable living arrows through the depths of the sea. Giglioli refers to the phosphorescence of Loligo saggitatus, and to that of several small Octopods observed by him at Callao and Valparaiso. Their bodies gave out a pale whitish light, uniformly distributed. AE BE MONEE, LUMINOUS BEETLES, ETC. a.—Lampyris splendidula—mule. a@.—Lampyris noctiluca—male. b— a es —female. e.— ee “« —female. ne “ —larva. f- * “larva. LIGHTNING-BUGS. 47. CHAPTER VII. LIGHTNING-BUGS. EN. COUNT DEJEAN, aide-de-camp to Napoleon, was a most enthusiastic collector of beetles; and it is even said of him that he would march his army out of its way to pass through a good collecting locality. At all times during the campaigns which he helped to render famous, his atten- tion was not taken from his favorite occupation; and his mnilitary cap was invariably conspicuous from the gorgeous beetles that were there immolated. Every one in the-army, from the emperor down to his men, was aware of what was termed his weakness; and the latter were constantly on the lookout for specimens for their commander. At the battle of Wagram, 1809, the general went into the combat with his hat as usual ornamented with beetles, which he had received that morning; and, while standing near the emperor, a shot from the enemy struck him upon the head, knocking him senseless, and destroying his collection, — the hat being com- pletely torn in pieces. The emperor, thinking him fatally wounded, hastened to his side, asking if he was still alive; upon which the general gasped out, “I am not dead; but, alas, my insects are all gone!” The beetles are among the most interesting of. all insects ; and a study of them, though casual, will well repay my young 45 LIVING LIGHTS. readers, who cannot fail to be interested in their peculiayri- ties, their habits, methods of protection, and defence, their intelligence in caring for their young, and the wondrous light-emitting power of some species. In my walks about the San Gabriel Valley, I generally meet a peculiar beetle, —a large, black fellow, who lumbers along in a clumsy manner. If touched, he cannonades me with a fluid of iodine color, which has a most disagreeable odor; so much so, that upon one occasion, my nostrils being in range, I was made temporarily faint by it. The fluid stained my hands like iodine, and caused not a little irrita- tion to the skin. The beetle, then, is a living cannon; the fluid, which is contained in certain glands, being its defence. Tt can be ejected or thrown two inches, so that it affords quite a protection, and probably would be effective with birds. Many insects have a curious odor which serves several pur- poses, — one, in rendering them nauseous to birds and various enemies; and, again, as a means’ of communication among themselves. Thus, if a community of deaf and dumb persons should decide to identify themselves by certain odors, we would see a practical application of this. One family would carry musk, and be recognized some distance off by it; and so with other perfumes or odors. This is just how some beetles call each other; and in the one referred to both male and female possess the same odor. Some of the flesh-eating beetles (Plate IX.) exhibit great ingenuity and intelligence in securing a food-supply and an asylum for their young at the same time. To their work is due the fact that the remains of few animals are found at the surface. The moment the latter die, these insects, and espe- LIGHTNING-BUGS. 49 cially the grave-diggers (Necrophorus), appear. They run about the body, if upon the ground, inspecting it with great interest. If the animal is small, and the earth about it not suitable for its purpose, it is removed to softer ground; and here the beetles begin to dig, undermining the body, until in a very few hours it has disappeared or been completely buried. I have seen a garter snake covered in four hours, and some animals are sunk in this way a foot from the sur- face. The beetles then feed upon the body, and the female deposits: her eggs there, — perhaps thirty white cylindrical objects, which in time hatch; the young being in this way provided with an ample supply of food. The Egyptian Scarabeus, noted for being found in the ancient tombs and monuments, and considered sacred by some of the natives, has an interesting method of caring for its future young. It encloses the eggs in round balls of various material suitable for food; a well is then dug several inches deep, into which the beetles roll the balls, then covering them: so that, when the young appears, it is encased in the food necessary to its existence. Passing the giant beetles of the tropics, and many others that have features of interest, we come to the forms called lightning-bugs, which, of all their tribe, impress us as mar- vellous, and which are especially associated with our present subject. “Sorrowing we beheld .The night come on; but soon did night display More wonders than it veiled: innumerous tribes From the wood-cover swarmed, and darkness made Their beauties visible ; one while they streamed A bright blue radiance upon flowers which closed Their gorgeous colors from the eye of day; 30 LIVING LIGHTS. Now motionless and dark, eluded search, Self-shrouded; and anon, starring the sky, Rose like a shower of fire.” . Southey’s description of the South-American fireflies does not ill apply to the midsummer night festivals held in our own woods and fields of the North, by the diamonds of the night. As twilight deepens, these living lights appear; creeping from beneath the bark of trees, out of the ground, or drop- ping from some distant limb; darting here and there in streams of light, soaring high in air, twinkling among the leaves; while down in the hollow, where the cat-tails rustle and nod, rises a veritable luminous cloud. The producers of these displays are the lightning-bugs, — beetles belonging to the family Lampyride (Plate X., Fig. 7). They are mainly of small size and soft texture; the larve being flat and dark colored, and often presenting the appearance of a bit of velvet. They are carniverous in their habits, and can be found under stones and the bark of trees. The velvet-hued larve of one species is often seen on the surface of the snow, giving rise to stories of worm showers. The family is divided, generally, into three sub-divisions; and one, the Lampyrinw, is noted for the phosphorescence of many of the species. Numerous species are known throughout the world and in this country, differ- ing much in size; those in Kentucky and other Southern States being somewhat larger than their Northern cousins. In the South and the West-India Islands they are seen to best advantage. In these isles of summer, especially Jamaica, Gosse studied their habits, and observed their nocturnal glories; and to him I am indebted for the following notes LIGHTNING-BUGS. 51 relating to the West-India species. He says at all times their sparks, of various degrees of intensity, according to the size of the species, are to be seen, fitfully gleaming by scores about the margins of woods, and in open and cultivated places. He observed about fourteen species, all luminous. Photuris versicolor, a large species with drab-colored elytra, he found abroad soon after his arrival in December. One flying around the house in the evening, he was struck with its swift and headlong flight and nearly permanent luminos- ity, which was much more brilliant than that of any species he had at that time seen. The large Pygolampis, which he called afterwards P. xanthophotis, he did not observe until May, when one flew into his house at Bluefields oue evening ; and a few nights later he found them in great numbers on the very sea-beach at Sabito. It was conspicuous for the intensity of its light, much exceeding that of Photuris versi- color. Sometimes it is only the last segment but two that shows luminosity ; but, when excited, the whole hinder part of the abdomen is lighted up with a dazzling glare. In June, in the woods of St. Elizabeth’s, Gosse had special opportunities for observing the Lampyride; particularly along the road leading up the mountain from Shrewsbury to Content, where it is cut through the forest, wj:ich over- hangs it on each side, making it sombre even by day, and casting an impenetrable gloom over the scene by night. The darkness here, however, and especially at one point, — a little dell, which is most obscure, — is studded thick with fireflies of various species, among which the two large ones above named are conspicuous. Pygolampis xanthophotis he observed only in flight. Its light is of a rich orange color when seen abroad, but when viewed in the light of a candle 52 LIVING LIGHTS. appears yellow. It is not so deeply tinted as the abdominal light of Pyrophorus noctilucus, and is intermittent. Photuris versicolor is noticeable by its frequent resting on a twig or leaf in the woods, when it will gradually increase the intensity of its light till it glows like a torch; then it gradually fades to a spark, and becomes quite extinct. It thus remains unseen for some time; but in about a minute, or it may be two, it will begin to appear, and gradually increase to its former blaze; then fade again, —strongly reminding the beholder of the revolving light at sea. The light of this species is of a brilliant green hue. Gosse says he has seen a passing Pyg. xanthophotis, attracted by the glow of a stationary Phot. versicolor, fly upward and play around it; when the intermingling of the green and orange rays had a charming effect. The smaller species have, some a yellow, and some a green, light. Pyg. xanthophotis, when held in the fingers, will fre- quently illuminate a segment of the abdomen, over which the light plays fitfully, sometimes momentarily clouded, more or less, but generally saturated, as it were, with most brilliant effulgence. This species occasionally comes in at open win- dows at night, but much more rarely than the Photuris versi- color and the smaller kinds, a dozen or more of which may be seen almost every night, crawling up the walls, or flitting around the room and beneath the ceiling, of these Jamaica homes. One of our commonest forms. in the eastern United States is Photuris pennsylvanicus. It is about one-half of an inch in length, has a general yellowish color, with a few stripes or lines of brown or black. Both sexes have wings and quite long elytra. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Scopelus humboldti, showing luminous spots. Mother o’pearl organ from side of same. Argyropelecus. Longitudinal section of organs from abdominal region of same. Luminous organ from nasal region of Jchthyococcus. Luminous Crustacean. 7. Lampyris. 8. Light cells of same, and trachea (magnified). ° LIGHTNING-BUGS. 53 In the diurnal Lueidota, often seen flying in shady places, and to be remembered by the peculiar, disagreeable, milky fluid they exude when caught, the luminous organs are feebly developed. In the female they are indicated by yellow spots found on the last ventral segment, and on the last two in the male. In the genus Pyropyga the light organs are inconspicuous, except in one species, — luteicollis. In Pyractomena, an attractive genus, this peculiar feature is well developed in both sexes, and the light vivid at times. The phosphorescent organs are larger in the male, and situated on the fifth and sixth ventral segments.’ Close examination will show in the male a large, stigma-like pore.on each side, midway between the middle and the side, whose office is not perfectly understood. In the female the lanterns are at the sides of the segments. P. lucifera, found from Massachusetts to Texas, has extremely small luminous organs. In the genus Photinus, certain species of which have parts of a roseate tint, the light-emitting organs are larger in the male than in the female, and vary considerably in position in the different species. In the male they cover the entire ventral segments, from the fourth to fifth inclusive; and on the fifth and sixth segments the little impressions or pores referred to are seen in the females. The light-organs occupy the middle portion of the ventral segments, and resemble a flat elevation upon the fifth segment. There are so many exceptions and differences, that the young naturalist will find it a particularly interesting study. Thus in P. dimissus the male has the usual illuminating apparatus, while it is entirely wanting in the female. In the group Lampyres the lights are bright in the females, but variable in the males. For a long time only the male of 54 LIVING LIGHTS. the genus Phengodes was known, the female being described as another insect. The mistake was made owing to the fact that the female never attains a development beyond the larval condition, and is the only instance among beetles where the larval female produces fertile eggs. The female is about two inches in length, of a creamy-white hue in the day- time; but at night it presents a truly magnificent appearance, emitting from the sides or margins of the segments a rich green phosphorescent light. Another light-giver rarely seen is the larva of Mastinocerus, a slender, cylindrical form of a pale color. It lives upon snails, and is feebly luminous. Mrs. King thus writes to Dr. le Conte concerning it: “ June 4, saw running rapidly over the table, near a lighted lamp, a small Coleopter ; it was twist- ing its abdomen up over its wings, and evidently trying to straighten them out, as they seemed moist and twisted at their ends. The general appearance suggested Mastinocerus ; and, acting on this thought, I captured it, and sat up till a late hour to be assured of the truth. The insect was in a small phial, and moved quickly. It gave out light conspicu- ously from the head, feebly from the anal end, and still more so from about the base of the abdomen. The light seen in the head, though visible in the dark as a round spot, yet, when taken into a room obscurely lighted, was invisible from above; but, when the insect was suddenly thrown upon its back, a light no larger than a pin-point was seen just about the junction of the head and prothorax.” The method of illumination in this group is intermittent, the light appearing as repeated flashes: hence the term “ light- ning-bugs ” in contrast to the steady, gleam of the fire-flies or Elaters. Mr. A. E. Eaton has counted the flashes in Luciola LIGHTNING-BUGS. 55 lusitanica, and found that there were thirty-six in a minute, each flash lasting from one-fourth to one-third of a second.®” The light of some species is intense, while that of others is very feeble. By placing detached parts of the luminous organs upon a page, I have been able to make out the type; and, if numbers of living lightning-bugs are confined, they can be utilized asa lamp,—rather a dull one, it must be confessed, unless the numbers are greatly augmented. The larve, as well as the imagos, are often luminous; even the eggs of some emit light. An examination of the luminous organs during the day- time shows them to be yellowish or whitish patches on the various segments. If the hand is held over them, the light is seen, and in complete darkness they present a magnificent spectacle, — the light dying away, then growing intense, about the spot, so that it appears to be fairly trembling with heat, as if some chemical action was periodically asserting itself, causing the tissues to become suffused with a fiery glow; yet, if the most delicate thermometer is placed against the luminous organs of a large number of these-.insects, there is not the slightest elevation to show the presence of heat. If now we kill the insect, and remove the luminous matter, it resembles a bit of starch with luminous spots; and pressure, which admits more oxygen, causes a temporary increase in the light. The luminous organs are similar in structure to the fat body of the insect, and are made up of light-emitting cells (Plate X., Fig. 8), surrounded by a maze of trachea, or air- tubes. In explanation of the light, it has been suggested that the cells secrete phosphuretted hydrogen, which becomes luminous upon contact with oxygen which reaches it through 56 LIVING LIGHTS. the minute air-tubes. Regarding Luciola Italica, Professor Emery says that the male Luciole gave out light in two distinct modes: in the night, when they are brisk and fly about, the light increases and decreases at short, regular intervals, so that it seems to twinkle. If one of them is caught flying, or disturbed in its rest by day, it shines less than at the maximum of its intensity when on the. wing, but without intermission. It is remarked, however, that the luminous plates do not shine uniformly over their whole extent; but that sometimes one spot, and sometimes another, glows more strongly. If such a specimen is examined under the microscope, we perceive, on a dark background, bright, luminous rings, which are not, however, uniformly brilliant, but display certain more intense points, which flash up, and again disappear, or continue to shine on faintly for a time, re-appearing afterward in full splendor. These changes take place without any regular succession.® : The common lightning-bugs of Europe are Lampyris nocti- luca (Plate IX., Fig. d) and L. splendidula (Fig. a). Their life history is an interesting study, and a brief description will apply to all. In early spring we find the little yellow eggs, perhaps gleaming with the wonderful phosphorescence, and thus finding protection, attached to blades of grass or other objects just above ground. The larva (Plate IX., Fig. c), a long, narrow, flat creature, soon appears and begins a predatory life; even being provided with an apparatus for removing the mucus of its victim. About the month of April it attains its full vigor, and during the summer changes to the pupa form, or hibernates all winter, entering a deep sleep, and assuming its new shape the following spring. We see the light from the very first in the eggs of some; LIGHTNING-BUGS. 57 then in the larva, there appearing like little sacs on the under surface, one on each side of the middle line, so arranged that the insect can hide them by retracting the body, and causing them to blaze out when the abdomen is extended. Nothing in all nature is more wonderful than the changes through which these and other insects pass before attaining adult growth. | The larva is a busy little creature, full of life; but, when about to change, it becomes lethargic and quiet, as it im- pressed with the importance of the coming metamorphosis. Finally it wriggles out of its old skin, and becomes a pupa, also luminous; exceedingly lively, yet with its motions restricted. It moves its antenne and legs, and pushes itself along by movements of the abdomen. Finally the perfect insect appears, with its wondrous array of lights, so little understood, and which, if accompanied with the ordinary amount of heat attendant upon such a display, would soon roast or fry its possessor. As to the use of the lights, we can only conjecture. It has been shown that one insect recog- nized the other by it, and thus it may be a sign language; while, according to others, it is a warning to birds and other enemies. Mr. Darwin thus refers to the lightning-bug of South America: “ All the fire-flies which I caught here (at Rio) belonged to the Lampyride (in which family the English glow-worm is included), and the greater number of speci- mens were of Lampyris occidentalis. I found that this insect emitted the most brilliant flashes when irritated; in the intervals, the abdominal rings were obscured. The flash was almost co-instantaneous in the two rings, but it was just perceptible first in the anterior one. The shining matter 58 LIVING LIGHTS. was fluid and very adhesive; little spots, where the skin had been torn, continued bright with a slight scintillation, whilst the uninjured parts were obscured. When tke insect was decapitated, the rings remained uninterruptedly bright, but not so brilliant as before. Local irritation with a needle always increased the vividness of the light. The rings in one instance retained their luminous property nearly twenty- four hours after the death of the insect. From these facts it would appear probable that the animal has only the power of concealing or extinguishing the light for short intervals, and that at other times the display is voluntary. On the muddy and wet gravel walks, I found the larve of Lampyris in great numbers. They resembled in general form the female of the English glow-worm. These larve possessed but feeble luminous powers; and on the slightest touch they feigned death, and ceased to shine; nor did irritation excite any fresh display.” PLATE XI. LUMINOUS BEETLE. (Pyrophorus noctiiucus.) In burrow of Mole Cricket. ’ FIRE-FLIES. 59 CHAPTER VIII. FIRE-FLIES. OME years ago an American gentleman, visiting in one of the large cities of South America, was invited to a masquerade ball at one of the finest private residences in the city. The ball-room was the garden, —a veritable fairy-land abounding in plants of the most novel and beautiful descrip- tion, — and upon the grass had been laid an extended plat- form for the dancers. It was moonlight when the festivities began, and no artificial lights were used; yet at various intervals among the flowers soft gleams appeared, apparently for ornament. Among the first comers was a tall gentleman dressed in a style of several centuries ago, a most picturesque costume ; but what particularly attracted the attention of the American were the decorations of this gentleman and his companion. Around the broad-brimmed hat he wore a band of what appeared, from a distance, to be gems, that flashed. like diamonds, presenting a magnificent appearance. The - lady’s costume was still more remarkable, being fairly ablaze with these brilliant scintillations. As the evening-wore on, he was presented to these maskers, when he found that the light proceeded from innumerable luminous insects which had been secured by delicate wires, and fastened upon the hat and the lady’s dress. 60 LIVING LIGHTS. 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 fas- tened 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.” Ifa number are confined in a glass, they emit sufficient light to read by. It is in the genus Pyrophorus that we find the most remarkable light-givers; the different species being found principally in tropical America. In Plate XI. Pyrophorus noctilucus, a form common in the West Indies and Brazil, is shown. It ranges from 1.50 to 1.75 inches in length; is a FIRE-FLIES. 61 black or rusty-brown color; and, if observed during the day- light, two conspicuous oval spots of a yellowish white hue are seen on each side of the prothorax. These are the lan: terns of the Elaters, and in the dark glow with a brilliancy far exceeding that of the lightning-bugs. These lights shine from above, while between the part known as the metathorax and the first abdominal segment gleams another, or lower light, even more brilliant than the other: so the Pyrophorus, turn which way it will in its flight, emits a flash of light. The light appears to be dependent upon the will,as when feeding or asleep it is not seen; attaining its greatest bril- liancy during activity and flight. The color of the light, as seen by the author, is a rich green; but the eggs emit a light of a bluish tint, according to Dubois. This naturalist has made some extremely interesting experiments with this beetle. The eggs which he dried retained their luminosity for a week, the light re-appearing when they were placed in water. He ground the luminous organs in a mortar, after having dried them in vacuum, and then mixed them in boiled water; the latter immediately becoming luminous. Dr. Du- bois concludes that the light of the Pyrophorus is intended as an illuminator for itself alone. To prove this, he covered one of the upper lights with wax, and the animal moved in a curve; when both spots were covered, the beetle soon stopped, and then moved in an uncertain manner, earefully feeling the ground with its antenne. The spectrum of the light was extremely beautiful, being continuous, without dark or brilliant rays; and, what appears most remarkable, the com- position of the light was found to change with its intensity. As to the exact cause of the light, how it is produced, the secret yet rests with Nature. 62 LIVING LIGHTS. Dr. Kidder thus refers to the brilliancy of one of these wondrous light-givers: “ Before retracing my steps, I stood for a few moments looking down into the Cimmerian black- ness of the gulf before me; and, while thus gazing, a lumi- nous mass seemed to start from the very centre. I watched it as it floated up, revealing in its slow flight the long leaves of the palm Huterpe edulis, and the minuter foliage of other trees. It came directly towards me, lighting up the gloom around with its three luminosities, which I could now dis- tinctly see.” The insect was the Pyrophorus noctilucus ; a longish click- beetle of a dull blackish-brown color, and covered over with a short, slight-brown pubescence. When walking or at rest, the chief light that it emits proceeds from the two yellow tubercles on the thorax, so conspicuous in dead specimens; but, when flying, another luminous spot is discernible on the hinder part of the thorax, and this is continued to the under side of the insect. Ovideo says that the Indians travel in the night with these insects fixed to their hands and feet; and that they spin, weave, paint, dance, etc., by their light. In Prescott’s “Conquest of Mexico,” we are told that in 1520, when the Spaniards visited that country, “the air was filled with the Cucujo,—a species of large beetle, which emits an intense phosphoric light from its body, strong enough to enable one to read by it. These wandering flies,seen in the darkness of the night, were converted, by the excited imaginations of the besieged, into an army of matchlocks.” At the time of the discovery of Hispaniola, Peter Martyr assures us that the natives, in their night journeyings through the woods, were in the habit of fastening a number of these . PLATE XII. THE LANTERN FLY. (Fuigora lanternaria.) According to Madame MERriaNn, Marquis Sprnoua, and others, FIRE-F LIES. 63 ee light-givers to their feet to light the way. On this ‘oceur- rence Southey founds the incident mentioned in “ Madoc” where Coatel guides Madoc through the cave: — “ She beckoned, and descended, and-drew out From underneath her vest a cage, —or net It rather might be called, so fine the twigs Which knit it, — where, confined, two fire-fiies gave their lustre. 64 LIVING LIGHTS. CHAPTER IX. LANTERN-FLIES, HEN Sir Charles Lyell visited this country some years ago, he expressed much interest in the sea-serpent question; and one of his first inquiries, when introduced to a certain gentleman, was, “ Have you heard any thing about the sea-serpent? ” The reply was, “Unfortunately I have seen it.” If Mme. Merian were alive, and a similar question should be propounded to her regarding the luminosity of the South- American lantern-fly, she could with propriety make a like response. She makes a definite and distinct statement con- cerning the phosphorescence of the Fulgora lanternaria, yet to-day it is declared non-luminous by nearly all scientists. It'is not our intention to champion the cause of this enthu- siastic naturalist ; but to some it would seem that the direct evidence of a single observer of good repute should have some weight against an indefinite number who merely failed to corroborate the observation. In the chapter on luminous plants, an almost similar instance is given, where for years the direct statement of the daughter of Linnzeus regarding the luminosity of a plant was doubted by scientific men, until finally a well-known botanist confirmed it. To some it would seem possible that the Fulgora emits light only at certain times, LANTERN-FLIES. 65 and under peculiar conditions; be this as it may, scientific opinion is entirely against its luminosity, and the light in the figure of Fulgora lanternaria (Plate XII.) is introduced merely to show its supposed appearance according to the description of Mme. Merian and her supporters. The ques- tion is so interesting, and so typical of many that arise, that we introduce the opinions of the various authorities upon the subject. The two most interesting species come from China and South America, — Fulgora candelaria from tke former, and F. lanternaria from the latter. The Asiatic species is the smallest, measuring about two inches in length, and notice- able for the peculiar horn-like projection on the head, sup-~ posed to be the luminous organ. Its colors are rich and attractive; the head and proboscis, as we may call it, being a fine reddish brown, apparently dotted here and there with . white specks. The thorax is a deep yellow hue; the body, black above, and-yellow beneath. The wings are still more striking, —the upper pair dark, with many green reticulations, that divide the entire surface into many minute squares, yellow spots being scattered here and there; the under wings are orange with black tips.. The Fulgora lanternaria of South America is nearly three inches and a half in length from the tip of the head to the extremity of the tail, and about five inches and a half broad with its wings expanded. The body is of a lengthened oval shape, sub-cylindric, and divided into several rings or seg- ments; while the head is distinguished by a singular prolon- gation, which sometimes equals the rest of the body in size. The general color is yellow, variegated with many brown stripes and spots. The wings are large and powerful; the 66 LIVING LIGHTS. lower pair ornamented with a large eye-spot, well shown in the accompanying figure; the iris or border being red, while the centre is half red and half white, rendering it a very con- spicuous object. The remarkable extension of the head — or lantern, as it has been called —is pale yellow, ornamented with longitudinal red stripes. In this projection the luminous property of the lantern-fly is said to exist. In Mme. Merian’s work on the insects of Surinam, she says, “The Indians once brought me, before I knew that they shone at night, a number of these lantern-flies, which I shut up in a large wooden box. In the night they made such a noise that I awoke in a fright, and ordered a light to be brought, not knowing from whence the noise proceeded. As soon as we found that it came from the box, we opened it, but were still much more alarmed, and let it fall to the ground in a fright, at seeing a flame of fire come out of it; and as many animals as came out, so many flames of fire appeared. When we found this to be the case, we recovered from our fright, and again collected the insects, highly admiring their splendid appearance.” Such a statement naturally attracted attention; and, from its publication until the present, collectors have endeavored to substantiate it. Count Hoffmansegg states that his insect collector Sieber, who was a practical entomologist of thirty years’ experience, took many specimens of F’ lanternaria in Brazil, but never saw one emit light. The Marquis Spinola, in the annals of the “ Entomological Society of France,” vol. xili., contends for the luminosity of the entire tribe. On the ~ other hand, M. Richard succeeded in raising a species of Fulgora, but failed to observe the light; while M. Westmael assures us that a friend of his observed the luminosity. LANTERN-FLIES. 67 John C..Branner, Ph.D., states that when in South America he was often informed that it was luminous, but never could find any one who had personally seen the light. Snr. Luiz A. A. de Carvalho, jun., of Rio de Janeiro, who had fine specimens in his cabinet, assured him that he knew of no evidence whatever that they produced light. In the article on phosphorescence in the last edition of the Ency- clopedia Britannica, Mr. William E. Hoyle, F.R.S., of the “ Challenger” expedition, apparently accepts the Fulgora as a light-giver; as he says, “ Whilst the lantern-flies, Fulgoride, carry their light at the extremity of a long, curved pro- boscis.” Professor P. Martin Duncan writes, “It is doubtful if the Fulgora, so often described in books as the lantern fly, has a scarlet light, if any at all.” The Fulgora is not remarkable for its supposed light alone; as in Brazil, where it is called Gitiranabozia, etc., it is consid- ered by some natives to be extremely deadly. Mr. John C. Branner, of the Indiana University, investigated the subject, and found that the natives believed that the long proboscis was the poisonous organ; and that when this struck any animal, no matter how large or powerful, the latter immedi- ately dropped dead. Even a distinguished Brazilian engincer assured Mr. Branner of the truth of the stories, saying that monkeys were often seen to fall dead from trees along the Amazon, killed by the deadly Gitiranaboia ; and a local paper reported the fact that these insects were destroying cattle in the southern provinces. At Parad, Mr. Branner was assured that a child died in great agony after being stung by one. It is needless to say that the lantern-fly is perfectly harmless, and its poisonous properties as mythical as modern scienve deems its light. 68 LIVING LIGHTS. Concerning the Chinese and African species, there is the same conflict of opinion. Dr. Phipson, an eminent authority on phosphorescence, evidently accepts them as luminous; as, in referring to the proboscis, he says, “It is from these appendages, the sides of which are transparent, that the phosphoric light appears ;” and in mentioning Fulgora cande- laria, he says, without giving his authority, “ It is said, also, that the trunk of a tree covered with numerous individuals of F. candelaria, some in movement, others in repose, pre- sents a very grand spectacle, impossible to describe, but which may be witnessed sometimes in China.” Dr. Donovan, in his “Insects of India,” figures the Fudgora pyrrhorynchus ; and Phipson states, “It is said to emit a light of a fine purple color. Donovan evidently had some reason for believing that they emitted light, as he represents them in the act. In “ Packard’s Guide,” there occurs the following refer- ence to the light of an East-African Fulgora: “Mr. Caleb Cooke of Salem, who resided several years in Zanzibar, Africa, told me that the lantern-fly is said by the natives to be luminous. They state that the long snout lights up in the night, and in describing it say, its head is like a lamp (heetchwa kand-tah).” According to William Baird, Esq., there is an edict in China against young ladies keeping lantern-flies. Altogether, the question is quite in keeping with the mystery that surrounds the entire subject of animal phosphorescence. One of the classes into which the insects are divided is termed Myriopoda, from the fact that the individuals which compose it are supplied with a seemingly endless number of locomotive organs. The centipedes and millepedes, “ hun- dred” and “thousand legs,” are the names by which they LANTERN-FLIES. 69 are most commonly known. The body is long and cylindri- cal in the genus Geophilus, being made up of from thirty to two hundred segments, each bearing a pair of short feet. In the Eastern States Lithobius Americanus, Wood., is per- haps the most familiar form, and often found under old logs. Some of the centipedes are very poisonous. Such a one is Scolopendra heros, Girard., the poison being stored in two enormous fangs. In Southern California I have found extremely large specimens of this genus. In the East Indies Scolopendra yigantea, Linn., attains a length of nine inches, and is a most repulsive appearing creature, and so dreaded that the most extravagant stories are told as to its power. A native informed me, who evidently believed his statement, that a man died near him from having one merely walk over him. The bite is undoubtedly poisonous, as is that of many of our common spiders; but I never could find an authentic. case where it had resulted fatally. As hideous as they are in certain parts of South America, a huge species, which attains a length of a foot, is eaten, the native children, according to Humboldt, tearing off the heads, and devouring the remainder with evident enjoyment. There are about eight hundred species of Myriapods, and among them is one, the Geophilus electricus of Europe, that is positively luminous; though Phipson, referring to them as Scolopendre, gives two luminous species, JS. electrica, Linn., of Europe, and 8. phosphorea of Asia. Specimens of the former, observed in fields at night, have been compared to minute pieces of red-hot coal, so vivid was the light. Probably the finest spectacle of the luminosity of these insects was observed by M. Audouin, at Choissy-le-Roi, near Paris. Noticing a light upon the ground in a chiccory field, he ordered’ his 70 LIVING LIGHTS. man to turn up the earth, when the scene that followed is described as truly magnificent. The soil appeared as if it had been sprinkled with molten gold, the display being intensified if the insects were trodden upon or rubbed; in the latter case, streaks of light appeared, as if a bit of phos- phorus had been placed upon the hands, the light being distinctly visible for twenty seconds. The Geophilus electricus (Plate XII., Fig. 2) is a small, inconspicuous insect, about an inch and a half in length, and one tenth of an inch in diameter. Like others of its kind, it lives in holes in the ground, and, when discovered, makes off rapidly by the use of its one hundred and forty legs. The interesting fact that the luminous secretion could be separated from the insect was originally noticed by Macart- ney seventy years ago, who found that the fluid, as he terms it, could be communicated by the centipede to every portion of its integument. This author also claims that the insect is only luminous after exposure to the sun, —a peculiarity that is found in certain minerals described in a later chapter. The most remarkable exhibition of the luminosity of these insects has been recorded by Mr. B. E. Brodhurst, who saw it first twenty paces away, so vivid was its display. The light looked like moonlight, so bright was it through the trees. “It was a dark night, warm and sultry. Taking a letter, I could read it. It resembled an electric light, and proceeded from two centipedes and their trails. The light illuminated the entire body of the animal, and seemed to increase its diameter three times. It flashed along both sides of the creature in sections, there being about six from head to tail between which the light played. The light behaved precisely like the electric light; moving, as it were, perpetu- LANTERN-FLIES. 71 ally in two streams, one on each side, and yet lighting up the whole body. The trail extended one and a half feet from each centipede over the grass and gravel walk, and it had the appearance of illuminated mucus. On securing one of the creatures for examination, I found, on touching it, the light was instantly extinguished,” This observer says that this phenomenon was frequently seen by others about his place. Mr. Brodhurst continues, “Professor Flower identified the centipede as Geophilus subterraneus. The published descriptions of the luminous properties of British centipedes differ considerably from what I observed in this instancé: the latter attributing light to the creatures only when dis- turbed. I was never able to induce my centipede to shine while in captivity.” 72 LIVING LIGHTS. CHAPTER X. BY CRAB-LIGHT. N drifting over the calm waters of the ocean as night comes on, we notice in the depths below luminous forms of infinite variety. These are meduse, as we have seen, moving here and there like veritable comets. They approach so near the unruffled surface, at times, as to expose the gleam- ing disk. The nets of the fishermen come up entangled in their golden trains, and along shore processions and columns of these wondrous shapes pass and repass.. As the night grows apace, and the wind rises, they sink into the deeper waters: yet the foam and crest of the waves still give out- the curious light, though now from another source. Much of this is due to Crustaceans, minute crea- tures often almost invisible to the naked eye, yet possessing this wonderful gift of phosphorescence to a marked degree. Some species of the little Gammarus are remarkable for their clear silvery light. They are familiarly known as water-fleas, attracting attention from their leaping powers, and are often found under seaweed above high-water mark, darting here and there in incredible numbers when their home is disturbed. These forms are extremely valuable as scavengers. That these interesting animals were light-givers, has long BY CRAB-LIGHT. 73 ~ been known; Viviani observing it in a number of species in the beginning of the present century. There is one pecul- iarity about many of these small animals; that is, the light has a more decided red tint than that of any other group of animals. This is especially true of many of the water-fleas, or Entomostracans, and the extremely transparent, ten-footed kinds. The light is often intense, but fitful and shortlived. It seems to start from the locality where the legs join the body, and rapidly spreads beneath the skin until the entire: body appears to be suffused with light, and the little animal consumed with an internal fire. Yet if a bushelful of these gleaming living lights were confined, and a thermometer placed among them, it would not show the slightest variation or evidence of heat. The little Cyclops is very common in our fresh-water ponds, and forms a beautiful object under: the microscope. ‘ Along our sea-shores we may often see, under the rocks, clinging to the eel-grass, or among the thickly growing stems of Coralina officinalis, in some pool left by the tide, gleaming spots that move about in an erratic manner; now many collecting together, then breaking up into small patches of light, which in turn separate again. They are curious Crus- taceans, known scientifically as the Idotea phosphorea. By day we shall find that they are usually spotted or entirely a bright yellow; at night emitting fitful gleams, perhaps as signals or as means of communication to their fellows. In the Arctic regions beautiful lights have often been seen, due to a minute crustacean. Lieut. Bellot first observed it in the North-American polar regions, and Nordenskiéld refers to it in his “ Voyage of the Vega.” The most brilliant displays have been seen at Mussel Bay. Nordenskidld says, 74 LIVING LIGHTS. “If during winter one walks along the beach on the snow, which at ebb is dry, but at flood-tide is more or less drenched through with sea-water, there rises at every step an exceedingly intense beautiful bluish-white flash of light, which in the spectroscope gives a one colored labrador-blue spectrum. This beautiful flash of light arises from the snow, that shows no luminosity before it is stepped upon. The ~ flash lasts only a few moments, but is so intense that it appears as if a sea of fire would open at every step a man takes. It produces, indeed, a peculiar impression on dark and stormy winter days. The temperature of the air is sometimes in the neighborhood of freezing of mercury. It is certainly a strange experience to walk along in this mixture of snow and flame, which at every step one takes splashes about in all directions, shining with a light so intense that one is ready to fear that his shoes or clothes will take fire. If carefully examined, the cause of this phenomenon is found to be a little crustacean, Metridea armata, that somewhat resembles the Cyclops. The great changes of temperature to which it is subjected in the snow- sludge seem not to affect it.” Few phosphorescent animals exhibit their glories during the day; but Sapphirina (Plate X., Fig. 6) is an exception. It is one of the largest of the Hntomostracans, about a quarter of an inch in length, broad and flat, without the beauty of form which characterizes Cyclops, Calanus, and others; but what it lacks in this respect is more than compensated by its marvellous powers of light production, few animals of any kind equalling it. So vivid is the phosphorescence, that it can be distinctly seen by day; and, peering down into the depths where it abounds, flashes of color —blue, gold, sap- PLATE XIV. Bil 3 BY CRAB-LIGHT. 75 phire, purple, green, and other hues — appear in bewildering frequency, ranging from the softest to the most intense and -- vivid lights, marking this living sapphire as one of the true gems of the sea. Giglioli mentions an Isopod crab, brilliant with gold and purple, gorgeous with iridescence, and possessed also of the additional charm of phosphorescence. The light-emitting organs in the Entomostracans observed by him were in the anterior portion of the thorax. The young (Zoéa) of the graceful little opossum shrimp Mysis stenolepis is phosphorescent. The adult forms are extremely interesting objects for study, the eggs and young being carried in a little pouch beneath the thorax. Allied to this little sea-opossum is Lucifer, that is to the crustaceans what the walking-stick is to the insect world; a veritable incongruity, resembling a branch of weed, and doubtless finding some protection in the mimicry. Some specimens, according to Giglioli, are luminous; the gift perhaps forming a signal language, a code understood in this world under the sea. The position, or seat, of the luminosity in crustaceans differs as widely as the intensity and color of the light; and in the little. Stomatopod, formerly considered as an adult, and described as Squillerichthus, we find the culmination of wonders, as, in a specimen of this genus found in the Atlantic, the seat of the brilliant intermittent yellowish-green light is in the eye-stalk; so that the eyes themselves may be said to be veritable lanterns. The phosphorescence of crabs was probably observed for the first time by Sir Joseph Banks, on his voyage from Madeira to Rio Janeiro; a small crab, named Cancer fulgens, being captured, which was remarkably luminous. Sir Joseph 76 LIVING LIGHTS. does not state whether the light came from the entire body or was confined to certain localities. MM. Eydoux and Souleyet, naturalists of the French exploring ship “La Bonite,” noticed a small luminous crustacean, and succeeded in separating the phosphorescent secretion from the animal. They describe it as yellowish, viscous, and soluble in water, and found that its luminous properties soon disappeared. It was their opinion that certain crustaceans secreted the: luminous matter, and that they differed much in their method of producing it. Certain small crabs, they believed, could display a certain amount of light when irritated; the. phosphorescence at these times appearing in jets, forming a cloud or halo of light in which the animal seems to dis- appear. in the abyssal depths of the ocean, where probably no ray of sunlight reaches, the crabs are possibly all luminous. Many of these deep-sea forms have a wide geographical dis-. tribution. Thus the Lithodes are found from the shallow waters of the north and south poles to the tropics, in the latter living in a region over which rests three-quarters of a mile of water. Many other crustaceans live in depths vastly more inaccessible than this, and under a much greater pressure. Thus Colossendeis titan, a strange creature, whose : stomach is prolonged to the ends of the feet, is found living” at a depth of about two miles anda half. These creatures,. a species of which is shown in Plate XIV., are the spiders of the sea, resembling their not distant allies of the land, at least in appearance. The different depths affect the inhabitants to a more or- less extent. In some, the eyes seem to have lost their proper functions; and an instance is thus described by the Rev. BY CRAB-LIGHT. TT. . A. M. Norman, naturalist of the ‘“ Porcupine,” the crustacean being Hthusa granulata: “The examples at one hundred and ten to three hundred and seventy fathoms in the more south- ern habitat have the carapace furnished in front with a spinose rostrum of considerable length. The animal is apparently blind, but has two remarkable spiny eye-stalks, with a smooth rounded termination where the eye itself is ordinarily situated. In the specimens, however, from the north, which live in five hundred and forty-two and seven hundred and five fathoms, the eye-stalks are no longer movable. They have become firmly fixed in their sockets, and their character is quite changed. They are of much larger size, approach nearer to each other at their base; and, instead of being rounded at their apices, they terminate in a strong rostrate point. No longer used as eyes, they now assume the func- tions of a rostrum; while the true rostrum, so conspicuous in the southern specimens, has, marvellous to state, become ab- sorbed. Had there been only a single example of this form procured, we should at once have concluded that we had found a monstrosity; but there is no room for such an hypoth- esis by which to escape from this most strange instance of modification of structure under altered conditions of life. Three specimens were procured, on two different occasions, and they are in all respects similar.” Specimens of these crabs found in shallow water had per- fect eyes; but, beyond one hundred and ten fathoms, they had changed as above stated. As Darwin has said, the stand for the telescope is there, though the telescope with its glasses has been lost. Probably many of the deep-sea forms are luminous in some way. Aristeus and allied forms are known to have 18 LIVING LIGHTS. phosphorescent eyes. Others have phosphorescent organs in various parts of the body. In one, the legs bear luminous bands that sparkle and gleam as the animal moves along in its dismal home. In others there are certain globular lumin- ous organs beneath the thorax, and between the abdominal swimmerets that have been described as eyes. The light emitted by the several organs is of different degrees of brilliancy. Vaughn Thompson is opposed to the theory that the objects on the side of the trunk, and along the ventral face of the tail, of these little creatures are eyes. ‘ A re-exami- nation,” he says, “proves that they are not visual organs at all, but constitute rather a highly complicated luminous apparatus together; the lenticular body of the organs acting as a condenser, which, in connection with the great mobility of the globules, enables the animal to produce at will a very . bright flash of light in a given direction. The great majority of species possess these organs, generally arranged in a per- fectly similar manner; but in a large, deep-sea, non-pellucid Euphausia, V. Willemoes Suhm could not detect these glob- ules in their usual place. “The phosphorescent light emitted by the species of the Euphausiide was frequently under observation. One taken by forceps exhibited a pair of bright, phosphorescent spots directly behind the eyes; two other pairs were on the trunk, and four other spots were situated along the median line of the tail,—all quite visible to the naked eye. The light of these is a bluish white. After a bril- liant flash as been emitted from the organs, they glow for some time with a dull light. The light is given out at will by the animal, and usually, but not always, when irri- Treen tte VRS ceca gnified). Cyc'ops (ma: a] ae Si as Ps a o'8 ns ES Be A BY. CRAB-LIG GHT. a) tated. The most brilliant flashes occur hen freslily- taken from the sea. Under the microscope these phosphorescent: organs appear as pale-red spots, with a central, clear, lenticu- lar body. The light comes from the red pigment surround- ing the lenticular space. Mr. Murray observed at night, on the surface of the sea in the Faeroe Channel, large patches and long streaks of apparently milky-white water. The tow- nets caught in these immense numbers of Nyctiphanes nove- jica, and the peculiar appearance of the water seemed to be due to the diffused light emitted from the- paespnonebeene organs of this species. ‘Many of the deep-sea shrimps are ee for their brilliant coloring. ,Aristes is a bright red, with antenne five or six times as long as its body. Equally strange is the long-legged Nematocarcinus (Plate XV., Fig. 1), and the Oplo- phori. and Notostomi, curious little creatures, that have no common names, are of an intense red hue, while others are brown, :rose, or spotted with red; showing that Nature decorates her own even in the uttermost depths of the sea. ; 80 LIVING LIGHTS. CHAPTER XI. SEAS OF FLAME. N the summer months in tropical and semi-tropical waters, often during several days in succession, the dcean pre- sents a surface almost unruffled. The fin of some roving shark, the splash of the flying-fish, or, if near shore, the plunge of the pelican or gull, are the only objects that dis- turb the sea of glass. At such times, after the sun had gone down, we have lain in our boat, with faces as near the surface as possible, and watched the wondrous panorama of the sub- marine world. Here great globes of light seemed to shoot through the watery space: every fish left a train of light; while the dolphin, or other great forms, gliding by, appeared converted into fiery monsters; and, as they rose to the sur- face, fountains of phosphorescence burst from the sea. The forms which tend to produce this remarkable appear- ance in the ocean depths are many; but, in the warm waters of the tropics, the most noticeable are those belonging to the class known scientifically as Tunicata. Aside from their luminous properties, the Tunicates are extremely interesting, from the fact that they are now supposed to represent, with perhaps one exception, the lowest form of backboned life, — being what are called degenerate forms. In the larval stage of some species a noto-cord is present, which is supposed to SEAS OF FLAME. 81 represent the backbone of higher vertebrates. In some, when the animals assume the adult form, the little spinal cord is absorbed; but in others, as the Appendicularia (Plate XVI., Fig. 3), the noto-cord and neural cord persist throughout the entire life of the animal. The life-history of these forms is of extreme interest; but, as it can be found in any text-book, we will pass to the feature that has rendered some of the class most conspicuous. In exploring the depths of southern seas, among others we shall see a columnar form, the Pyrosoma, or “ fire-body ” (Plate XVII.), the giant of the Tunicates. It is an aggre- gation of individuals, forming a hollow cylinder closed at one end, and from two inches to four feet in length.” The Pyrosome are richly tinted during the day; but at night, as their name implies, they resemble incandescent bodies. Humboldt refers to the spectacle he enjoyed when passing through a zone of them in the Gulf Stream, distin- guishing by their light the forms of fishes, that, bathed by their gleams, stood out in bold relief far below the surface. The light is extremely beautiful. That of the Atlantic forms is said to be polychroic, or an intense green; while in the very large species it is azure. So brilliant and striking is the light, that the impression is gained that it proceeds from the entire surface of the animal; but this is not the case, according to Panceri. When the Pyrosoma is moving along in its curious fashion, — which calls to mind the old stern-wheel steamers, — and is undisturbed, the light is inter- mittent, now flashing from one cell, and now from another; the vast number of gleams giving it the appearance at times of constant light over the entire surface. Panceri found that the luminous bodies produced an albu- 82 LIVING LIGHTS. minoid substance that may become diffused by handling, and retain its luminosity for some time. Curiously enough, fresh water increases the intensity of the light, and causes it to continue for a longer period. The intensity of the light may be realized, when we learn from Figuier that Bibra, a Brazilian navigator, employed six Pyrosome to illuminate his cabin, which was thus rendered so bright that he could read to a friend the description he had written of these living lanterns. Mr. Bennett, the naturalist, thus describes his experience with these beautiful creatures: “On the 8th of June, being then in latitude 80° south, and 27° 5’ west longitude, having fine weather and a fresh south-easterly trade-wind, and the thermometer ranging from 78° to 84°, late at night the mate of the watch called me to witness a very unusual appearance in the water. This was a broad and expansive sheet of phos- phorescence, extending from east to west as far as the eye could reach. I immediately cast the towing-net over the stern of the ship, which soon cleaved through the brilliant mass, the disturbance causing strong flashes of light to be emitted; and the shoal, judging from the time the vessel took in passing through the mass, may have been a mile in length. On taking in the towing-net, it was found half filled with Pyrosoma atlanticwm, which shone with a beautiful pale- greenish light. After the mass had been passed through by the ship, the light was still seen astern, until it became invisible in the distance, and the ocean became hidden in the darkness as before this took place. “ The second occasion of my meeting these creatures was in a high latitude, and during the winter season; the weather dark and gloomy, with light breezes from north- SEAS OF FLAME. 83 north-east, in latitude 40° 30’ south, and 138° 3 east longi- tude, at the western entrance to Bass’s Straits, and about eight o’clock p.M., when the ship’s wake was perceived to be luminous, while scintillations of the same light were abundant all around. To ascertain the cause, I threw the towing-net overboard, and in twenty minutes succeeded in capturing several Pyrosome, which gave out their usual pale- green light; and it was, no doubt, detached groups of these animals which occasioned the light in question. The beautiful light given out by these molluscans * soon ceased to be seen ; but, by moving them about, it could be reproduced for some length of time after. The luminosity of the water gradually decreased during the night, and toward morning was no longer seen.” M. Peron, says Figuier, observed the beauties of the Pyrosoma atlanticum on his voyage to the Isle of France. The wind was blowing with great violence, the night was dark, and the vessel was making rapid way, when what appeared to be a vast sheet of phosphorus presented itself, floating on the waves, and occupying a great space ahead of the ship. The vessel having passed through this fiery mass, it was discovered that the light was occasioned by animal- cules swimming about in the sea, at various depths, round the ship. Those which were deepest in the water looked like red-hot balls, while those on the surface resembled cylinders of red-hot iron. Some of the latter were caught ; they were found to vary in size from three to seven inches. All the exterior of the creatures bristled with long, thick tubercles, shining like so many diamonds; and these seemed * When this account was written, the Tunicates were supposed to be mollusks. — NoTE BY THE AUTHOR. 84 LIVING LIGHTS. to be the principal seat of their luminosity. Inside, also, there appeared to be a multitude of oblong, narrow glands, exhibiting a high degree of phosphoric power. The color of these animals, when in repose, is an opal yellow, mixed with green; but, on the slightest movement, the animal exhibits a spontaneous contractile power, and assumes a luminous brilliancy, passing through various shades of deep red, orange green, and azure blue. Professor Moseley captured a Pyrosoma four feet long, ten inches in diameter, with walls an inch in thickness. It was placed upon the deck of the vessel, and, when the naturalist wrote his name upon the animal with his finger, it came out in letters of fire: each letter seeming to increase in size, until the entire name was lost in a blaze of light, that radi- ated rapidly and soon suffused the entire animal ; presenting a marvellous spectacle, and showing, in a striking manner, how intimately the animals are connected. In Plate XVII. a Pyrosoma of the largest size is shown in comparison with a native diver. Sir Wyville Thompson observed the Pyrosome off the Cape Verde Islands, and refers to the “blaze of phosphorescence and train of intense brightness that followed the ship;” and, while he did not experiment with the animals in his cabin, as did Bibra, he says, “It was an easy matter to read the smallest print, sitting at the after port in my cabin; and the bows shed on either side rapidly widening spaces of radiance, so vivid as to throw the sails and rigging into distinct lights and shadows. The first night or two after leaving San Iago, the phosphorescence seemed chiefly due to large Pyrosome, of which we took many specimens in the tow-net, and which glowed in the water with a white light like that from molten iron.” SEAS OF FLAME. 85 Not the least wonderful feature of this animal is the variety of tints; white, green, various shades of deep red, orange green, and azure blue haying been ascribed to it by different observers, —a fact that must stamp it as the most wonderful of all light-givers, a veritable living diamond. One of the most remarkable exhibitions of phosphorescence was observed in January, 1880, by Commander R. E. Harris of the steamship “ Shahjehan,” —a display so unusual that I quote Capt. Harris’s letter in full; and, while he is in- clined to consider the exhibition as possibly electric, it would seem that the luminous objects referred to were phosphores- cent animals of some kind, and possibly may have had some connection with the phenomenon. ‘¢ The most remarkable phenomenon,’’ says Capt. Harris, ‘‘ that I have ever seen at sea was seen by myself and officers on the 5th instant, between Oyster Reef and Pigeon Islands (Malabar coast). At ten p.m. we were steaming along very comfortably. There was a perfect calm, the water was without a ripple upon it, the sky was cloudless, and, there being no moon, the stars shone brightly. The atmosphere was beautifully clear, and the night was one of great quietude. At the above-named hour I went on deck, and at once observed a streak of white matter on the horizon bearing south-south-west. I then went on the bridge, and drew the third officer’s attention to it. In a few minutes it had assumed the shape of a segment of a circle, measuring about forty-five degrees in length, and several degrees in altitude about its centre. At this time it shone with a peculiar but beautiful milky whiteness, and resembled (only in a huge mass, and greater luminous intensity) the nebule sometimes seen in the heavens. We were steaming to the southward; and, as the bank of light extended, one of its arms crossed our path. The whole thing 86 LIVING LIGHTS. appeared so foreign to any thing I had ever seen, and so wonder- ful, that I stopped the ship just on its outskirts, so that I might try to form a true and just conception of what it really was. By this time all the officers and engineers had assembled on deck to witness the scene, and were all equally astonished and interested. Some little time before the first body of light reached the ship, I was enabled, with my night glasses, to resolve in a measure what appeared to the unassisted eye a huge mass of nebulous matter. I distinctly saw spaces between what again appeared to be waves of light of great lustre. These came rolling on with ever-increasing rapidity till they reached the ship; and in a short time the ship was completely surrounded with one great body of undulating light, which soon extended to the horizon on all sides. On looking into the water, it was seen to be studded with patches of faint, luminous, inanimate matter, measuring about two feet in diameter. Although these emitted a certain amount of light, it was most insignificant when compared with the great waves of light that were floating on the surface of the water, and which were at this time converging upon the ship. The waves stood many degrees above the water, like a highly luminous mist, and obscured by their intensity the distant horizon; and, as wave succeeded wave in rapid succession, one of the most grand and brilliant, yet solemn, spectacles that one could ever think of was here witnessed. In speaking of waves of light, I do not wish to convey the idea that they were mere ripplings, which are some- times caused by fish passing through a phosphorescent sea; but waves of great length and breadth, or, in other words, great bodies of light. If the sea could be converted into a huge mirror, and thousands of powerful electric lights were made to throw their rays across it, it would convey no adequate idea of this strange yet grand phenomenon. ‘« As the waves of light converged upon the ship from all sides, they appeared higher than her hull, and looked as if they were SEAS OF FLAME. -8T about to envelop her; and, as they impinged upon her, her sides seemed to collapse and expand. ‘‘ Whilst this was going on, the ship was perfectly at rest, and the water was like a millpond. _ * After about half an hour had elapsed, the brilliancy of the light somewhat abated, and there was a great paucity of the faint, lustrous patches which I have before referred to ; but still the body of light was great, and, if emanating from these patches, was out of all proportion to their number. ‘¢ This light I do not think could have been produced without the agency of electro-magnetic currents exercising their exciting influence upon some organic animal or vegetable substance. And one thing I wish to point out is, that, whilst the ship was stopped and the light yet some distance away, nothing was discernible in the water ; but, so soon as the light reached the ship, a number of luminous patches presented themselves : and, as these were equally as motionless as the ship at the time, it is only natural to assume that they existed, and were actually in our vicinity, before the light reached us, only they were not made visible till they became the transmitting media for the electro-magnetic currents. This hypothesis is borne out by the fact that each wave of light in its passage was distinctly seen to pass over them in succession; and, as the light gradually became less brilliant, they also became less distinct, and had actually disappeared so soon as the waves of light ceased to exist.’ A little Ascidian called the Salpa is quite famous for its luminous properties. Like the previously mentioned form, it is a free swimmer, two kinds of individuals being recognized. One is known as solitary; while the others are termed chain zoéids, being many joined together, forming long chains, the links represented by the individual animals. 88 LIVING LIGHTS. The Salpa spinosa, a familiar form upon our coasts, is quite cylindrical, often a little flattened above and below, and seemingly moulded in glass, so beautiful is its structure upon examination. As small and common as they are, they have created much discussion. Some observers deem their devel- opment one of the most remarkable instances of the alterna- tion of generations. Chamisso, the German poet-naturalist, explains the relationship as follows: “A Salpa mother is not like its daughter or its own mother, but resembles its sister, its granddaughter, and its grandmother.” Dr. W. K. Brooks has given much attention to these forms in this country; and, from his point of view, the alternation of generations would be impossible. The Salpe give little signs of animation. “The only con- spicuous vital action,” says Professor Owen, “is the rhyth- mical contraction and expansion of the mantle, in which the elasticity of the outer tunic antagonizes the contraction of the inner one. During expansion, the sea-water enters by the posterior aperture, and is expelled, in contraction, by the an- terior one; its exit by the opposite end being prevented by a’ valve. The re-action of the jet, which is commonly forced out of a contracted tube, occasions a retrograde movement of the animal.” As they move along, on dark nights, they present the appearance of fiery serpents or luminous ribbons (Plate XVI., Fig. 1), winding their way over the sea,—a most striking spectacle. The light of Salpe observed by Giglioli was confined to the so-called nucleus, but was not constant; indeed, some were luminous and some were not. This was particularly evident in the month of September, when the exploring-ship “Magenta” passed through a bed of these little creatures, PLATE XVI. CHAIN OF SALPS Salpa spinosa Appendicularia SEAS OF FLAME. 89 fifteen miles in extent. Some observed in the South Atlantic had the nucleus tinged with a brilliant red light. Very simi- lar to Salpa is Doliolum, which seems to burn with a vivid green light scattered over the entire body, and is one of the emeralds of the sea.. In the very lowest order (Copelatw) of the Tunicates, we find an interesting, indeed remarkable, light- giver, the Appendicularia (Plate XVI., Fig. 3). It resembles a tadpole with quite a long tail, retaining in its adult life features that only characterize the larve of others of the group. Professor Agassiz has noticed. two specimens on the New-England coast, and they are very common in both tropical and temperate waters of various regions. Some of the species are veritable house-builders, forming a gelatinous protection covering called a test. This habita- tion, if so we may term it, is formed or secreted with con- siderable rapidity, and is quite an elaborate affair; having two front chambers and a middle one large enough for the tail to move with ease. Curious to relate, this transparent residence is, according to Filhol, only used a few hours, being then deserted and another formed; so that its life would seem to be spent in making houses and deserting them. The light of certain Appendicularie is almost as remarka- ble as that of the Pyrosome, in the variety of its coloring ; one, according to Giglioli, appearing first red, then blue, and finally green. The seat of the luminosity, which appears in intense flashes, was the central axis of the tail, or caudal appendage. Between Montevideo and Batavia in the South Atlantic, this naturalist observed many of these little crea- tures, nearly all of which showed these tri-colored favors; and in the Indian Ocean some were seen emitting white,. 90 LIVING LIGHTS. blue, and green lights, marking them as among the most striking of all the light-givers. Charles William Peach, an English naturalist, has observed the tadpole form of Cynthia to emit light. Cynthia pyrifor- mis resembles a peach in form, size, and even bloom ; its tests having rich reddish tints. It is a familiar form in deep water from Cape Cod to Greenland and across to Scandinavia. It is one of the most common objects on our New-England beaches after storms. The heavy seas throw it up from its hiding-places. To the student or interested visitor it is a beautiful object. FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS. 91 CHAPTER XII. FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS. F it were possible for human beings to penetrate to the abyssal depths of the ocean, finny torch-bearers would be found from the very surface to nearly four miles beneath it; existing in many cases under conditions almost incomprehen- sible when the enormous attendant pressure is considered. While it is extremely difficult to tell the exact depth from which a fish is taken by the dredge, sufficient data has been secured for naturalists to assume, though there is great differ- ence of opinion, that, to a greater or less degree, the forms of certain depths have certain peculiarities. These are often seen in the organs of vision, which have been modified in many ways by the lack of light. Thus the eyes of forms that are found living five or six hundred feet below the sur- face are often extremely large, as in Beryx (Plate XVIIL., Fig. 1), as if to absorb the faintest beams of sunlight that may penetrate this distance. As we descend to twelve hun- dred feet, the eyes seem to grow larger; and beyond this, large and small eyed fishes are found indiscriminately. The former evidently use these organs; while those with small eyes are provided with remarkable organs of touch, —long feelers which can be thrown forward, or moved to a more or less extent, and used as the blind man uses his cane. An 92 LIVING LIGHTS. interesting, indeed remarkable, example of this is seen in the fish Bathypterus longipes, Ginther found at a depth vary- ing from one-half to three-quarters of a mile from the surface in the Atlantic. The eyes are extremely small, apparently useless; but the blind man’s cane is here, as the pectoral fins are modified to serve as feelers, two rays almost as long as the entire fish extending from the back of the head. As the fish swims freely, the fins are trailed behind; but, does it approach a prospective victim, the articulation of these won- derful feelers enables them to be thrown forward as a cane in advance of the fish. They are divided at the tip, and form a delicate sense-organ with which to explore the depths of this abyssal world. Upon the ventral fins, there are two similar rays, that serve a like purpose. Many fishes having remarkable feelers have quite recently been discovered, and among them Eustomias obscurus (Plate XIX.), a fish found at a depth of twenty-seven hundred meters, which has a long tentacle dependent from the lower jaw. When we penetrate beyond a certain depth, we find blind fishes as well as those possessing eyes; and all the forms of the greater depths are adapted to their life under the con- sequent enormous pressure in a remarkable manner: The bones are friable and cavernous, and loosely connected. Many are covered with a thick mucus, while many more have curious plates, that are so many torches or lanterns to emit light for their possessors. As some of the fishes have eyes and no phosphorescent organs, while others are lumin- ous and perhaps blind, and knowing that all are carnivorous, we may well imagine that a fierce struggle for existence is carried on in this distant world of the sea. The lamps of FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS. 93 some forms must attract their enemies; while, on the other hand, they may constitute a lure, dazzling weaker forms, which fall victims to their curiosity. Among all the light-givers, these deep-sea lantern-bearers are the most interesting, and typical of the mysterious realm from which they are taken by the ingenious inventions of mankind. Some are luminous over their entire surface, as the Harpodon, or Bombay duck (Plate XVIII., Fig. 2). Others have a series of plates extending along the side, that resemble the open ports of a steamer. Some possess gleam- ing head-lights, the locomotives of the sea; while others have their lights confined in groups. While the expeditions of the “ Challenger,” “Talisman,” * Albatross,” and “ Travailleur” have resulted in the dis- covery of what seems a remarkable presentation of these light-givers, we can well imagine, understanding the diffi- culties of deep-sea dredging, that the largest and perhaps most interesting of these forms are yet undiscovered, and that the greatest mysteries may never be revealed. The difficulties that attend, and the chances against, the capture of deep-sea fishes, can be perhaps realized by my young readers, if they imagine a large balloon sailing along over the country at an elevation of from four to five miles, drag- ging a dredge ten or twelve feet wide. Few active boys or girls would be caught by such a device; only the slug- gards that were fast asleep would be trapped. The com- paratively small dredge at the end of a six-mile rope, dragging along and creating an unusual commotion in the silent sub- marine world, secures only a few forms, the sluggards and mud-lovers, as a rule: so that fishes taken at extreme depths are prizes indeed. The “Talisman” took the fish Bythites 94 LIVING LIGHTS. crassus from a depth of about two miles. The naturalists of the “ Challenger” expedition captured the Bathyophis ferox about three miles from the surface, or, to be exact, five thou- sand and nineteen meters. The American exploring-vessel, the “ Albatross,” under the direction of Professor Spencer F. Baird, has exceeded any of these hauls; in 1883 making a capture of five species in twenty-nine hundred and forty- nine fathoms. While luminous fishes have been known for many years, the “Challenger” expedition brought many new forms to light, and the work accomplished by her officers may be said to have given a new impetus to the study of deep-sea forms. Off the north-west coast of Australia, the ‘“ Challenger’s ” trawl captured the curious black fish Eehiostoma microdon. The luminous spots were few in number, but so arranged as to be of the greatest service: thus two are found just below the eyes; above the maxillary there is a narrow, elongated one, with a smaller spot nearer the eye. H. micripnus, found in twenty-one hundred and fifty fathoms, has long, fringed barbels, and small, round luminous spots above the maxillary, resembling a rudimentary eye. Referring to this interesting torch-bearer, Dr. Giinther says, “The fishes of the family Stomiatide, to which this genus belongs, are armed with formidable teeth, —a certain indication of their predaceous habits and voracity. Their long body is covered with a smooth, scaleless skin, of an intensely black color. The vertical fins are close together, near the end of the tail, as in the pike, forming a powerful’ propeller, by a single stroke of which the fishes are enabled to dart with great rapidity to a considerable distance. A long filament is suspended below the chin; and, as it is fre- FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS. 95 quently fringed at its extremity, it evidently serves as a lure for other fishes or animaleule. Series of luminous, globular bodies run along the lower half of the body and tail; and some others of larger size occupy the side of the head, gener- ally below the eye or behind the maxillary bone. This fish is sixteen inches in length. The end of the barbel, which was thickened, was flesh-color with a rose tint; there was also a rose tint on the dorsal and anal fins. The rest of the animal was of a dark color. The phosphorescent spots along the belly and radial and lateral line were red, as was also that below the eye.” It is not often that the light of these fishes is seen; but the late Professor Willemoes Suhm, while watching the great trawl come over the side upon a calm night, noticed a gleaming spot, and taking it out found it to be the little fish Sternoptyr. In referring to it he says, “It hung in the net like a golden star, as it came out of the darkness.” As the Sternoptyx is a delicate little creature, and quite defenceless, its illumination must be a fatal gift. This is equally true of the Argyropelecus hemigymnus (Plate X., Fig. 3), a curiously formed fish,—deep in the body, tapering off suddenly to the tail, as if a piece had been bitten out by some large fish. Referring to the figure, it will be seen that the luminous organs are grouped; four being at the side of the tail, six midway between it and the line of the dorsal fin, and many others around the edge of the ventral surface, — one hundred and six in all: so that if all these plates are luminous, the Argyropelecus must present a dazzling sight as it darts along in the blue waters of the Mediterranean, where it has been most commonly observed. Concerning the functions of these organs, there is still 96 LIVING LIGHTS. much controversy. The opinions’ of Ussow, Leydig, and others will be found in their papers referred to in the bibli- ography; and, as the question is thoroughly a technical one, its further discussion is omitted. As early as 1865 Pro-. fessor Leuckart suggested that the curious plates (Plate X., Fig. 4) were organs of sight, or accessory eyes. In 1879 Dr. M. Ussow, of the University of St. Petersburg, gave the world an account of his researches upon the plates of the genera Astronesthes, Stomias (Plate XX.), Chauliodus (Plate XXL, Fig. 4), Scopelus (Plate X., Fig. 1), Maurolicus, Gronos- toma, and Argyopelecus, small fishes, most of which were found in the Mediterranean. This was followed by similar investigations by Dr. Leydig of Bonn, and Dr. Giinther. A well-known phosphorescent fish is seen in Scopelus, which bears upon its sides and various parts of the body numbers of spots (Plate X., Fig. 1), which, if all luminous, mark it as one of the most brilliant of the light-givers. The appearance of these organs in reflected light is shown in Plate-X., Fig. 2. The snake-like Stomiasboa (Plate XX.), from a depth of twenty-seven hundred feet, is perhaps the most hideous of the light-givers; its large mouth and ferocious teeth giving it a bull-dog aspect, which in a large fish would make a veritable dragon. But Stomias is not over twelve or fifteen inches in length, though quite large enough to terrify the smaller fry. The specimen figured was taken in the Gulf of Gascony by the naturalists of the “Talisman,” from its home, a mile and a quarter beneath the surface. The sides of the body are provided with a double row of luminous disks, which, according to M. Filhol, “cause the fish to be surrounded ‘by a brilliant luminous aureola.” PLATE XVilIl. CHIASMODUS. SUN-FISH. PLAGIODUS. HARPODON. BERYX. FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS. 97 In Plate XVIII., Fig. 4, is shown a large light-giver, — the Plagiodus, a fish six feet in length. According to Dr. Giin- ther, it emits light from various parts of its surface; the tips of the fins gleaming with a soft phosphorescence similar to that of the large-eyed Beryx (Fig. 1) of same plate. The latter attains a length of about twenty inches. Quite as ferocious in appearance as the Stomias is Chau- liodus (Plate XXI., Fig. 4), with long, lance-like teeth, gleam- ing fins, and a row of small phosphorescent plates that perhaps sparkle like so many gems as their bearer sails along in the greater depths. Exaggerations are often termed “fish-stories,” for the reason perhaps that improbable tales are related concerning the denizens of the sea by fun-loving mariners ; but the most remarkable stories that the vivid imagination of those who go down to the sea in ships has ever devised are not as remarkable as the simple truths regarding the every-day his- tory of fish-life. What can be more astonishing than the fact that these delicate forms are enabled to live in water where the pressure is so great that hard wood is crushed and glass reduced to powder? If a decade or so ago a statement had appeared in the daily press, to the effect that a fish had been discovered which could swallow another five times its own bulk, it would in all probability have been classed as a “ fish- story,” —too big an one, indeed, to have even the merit of comical exaggeration: yet such a fish does exist in the black swallower, or Chiasmodus (Plate XVIII., Fig. 5); the fish, besides being luminous, possessing this extraordinary faculty. The jaws, by a special arrangement, are capable of great extension ; so that the fish actually draws itself over its prey, that may be many times its own bulk. The skin of the 98 LIVING LIGHTS. swallower seems to possess a rubber-like character, stretching to enormous dimensions, and often, when filled with gas, carrying the glutinous light-bearer into the upper regions of the ocean. Malacosteus niger, Ayres (Plate XXII.), is a rare fish, from a depth of two-thirds of a mile; though several speci- mens have recently been taken by the United-States Fish- Commission, and others by the “ Talisman” off Morocco, in forty-eight hundred feet of water. It is of small size, from thirteen to fourteen centimeters in length, of a velvet-black hue, and possesses two large luminous organs upon the head; one of which, according to M. Filhol, who observed the light in the living fish, emits a golden, and the other a greenish phosphorescence. We have here, then, a fish that vies with the Appendicularia, and other forms which we have seen emitting light of more than one color. It is possible that the rays of light from these spots project ahead of the fish, in the manner shown in the accompanying figure, in which the appearance of the light is of course conjectural; but as to the meaning of the different colors, are they a system of signals cunningly devised by Nature to enable Malacosteus to distinguish its kind in the profound depths of the ocean, or are they merely lures of more than ordinary brilliancy? In some fishes the luminous organs are extremely small, almost invisible to the naked eye, and often spread over a large extent of surface. Such an instance is seen in Eusto- mias obscurus (Plate XIX.) and Neostoma. In the former, an attenuated carnivorous fish of a jet-black color, we see another example of remarkable feelers, or sense-organs. While these forms are probably free swimmers, there are many others that are mud-dwellers, of most extraordinary FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS. 99 make-up, literally living bags, or rather mouths. The Mela- nocetus Johnstont (Giinther, Plate XXIII.) is one of these; having an enormous pouch, with a fishing-rod upon its head similar to that of our common Lophius. Melanocetus probably buries itself in the ooze, as shown in the engraving, allowing the tip of its tentacle, or rod, to protrude; and, when the living bait is touched, it opens its cavernous mouth and seizes the victim. Still more remarkable is the Eurypharynz pelecanoides, which has a mouth of enormous dimensions (Plate XXIV.), from which depends a pelican-like pouch. This form is interesting, from many peculiarities ; among which may be mentioned the fact, that the bronchial arches are here simple bars, five in number, having no connection with the cranium. The mouth can open to a surprising extent, the lower jaw being composed of two pieces attached to the cranium by a movable joint, so that it swings literally in various direc- tions. The fish probably feeds by swimming along the bottom blindly, ingulfing various animals, holding them by its interlocked teeth. This phenomenal fish was taken in 1882 by Vaillant, the French scientist, twenty-five hundred metres from the surface; while another genus of these deep- sea, eel-like creatures was described in 1883 by Gill and Ryder, who called it Gastrostomus bairdii. In the latter, the jaw is six or seven times as long as the cranium. One of the most striking phosphorescent fishes is a small shark, Squalus fulgens, also described and figured by Kner as Leius feroxz, which, in general appearance, somewhat resem- bles the black or brown nurse (or Scymnus) of our Southern coast. This interesting light-giver was discovered by Dr. Bennett, and the following is his version of the find: “ Being 100 LIVING LIGHTS. dark when I first saw it shining in the net, it resembled a Pyrosoma, emitting, as it did, a bright phosphorescent light. This was in latitude 2° 15’ south, longitude 163° west. The length of my specimen was five inches and a half. It is not a little singular that my brother, the late D. F. Bennett, obtained a specimen of this fish in the same latitude, and another in latitude 55° north, longitude 110° west. The first was taken in the daytime, and was ten inches in length, —much larger in size than my specimen. The second was taken at night, and its entire length was a foot and a half: both were alive when captured, and fought fiercely with their jaws, tearing the net in several places. On placing my fish in sea-water, and observing it in the dark cabin, it swam about for some time, emitting a bright phosphoric light; and when this had become so faint as to be almost imperceptible, it was readily rekindled on the animal being disturbed or excited. My specimen was of a perfectly black color, and died about four hours after it had been taken. The luminosity was retained for some hours after life was extinct. “The form of the shark, as indeed its whole structure, is peculiar. It no doubt belongs to the subgenus Scymnus. My specimen having been accidentally lost, I am unable to give a minute description of it. My brother was more fortunate. I will, therefore, give his account of so novel and interesting a fish. The body is cylindrical, rather slender, and tapers finely towards the tail. Its prevailing color is dusky brown; a broad black band, or collar, passes around the throat; and the fins are partially margined with white (my specimen, being small and young, varied in this respect, being black, with the fins of a less intensity of color); the skin rough, FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS. 101 as is usual in the shark tribe. The number of gill-apertures is five on each side. The fins are short, and for the most part disposed in a round form; the dorsals are two in num- ber, small, and placed far back; the tail-fin is unequally divided, the upper being the longest and largest lobe. The head is flat; the snout prominent, rather pointed, and has two nostrils at its extremity. There is, also, on each side of the upper and back part of the head, a large oval orifice, like a spiracle or nostril, provided with a valve, and com- municating with a corresponding aperture in the roof of the mouth. The mouth is capacious; and the dark skin around it is incised on each side to some extent beyond the commis- sure of the lips, exposing a white elastic membrane beneath. The upper jaw is armed with many rows of small, sharp teeth ; while the lower has only a single row of perpendicular teeth, or, rather, an elevated plate of bone, sharply toothed on its summit, and bearing a close resemblance to a segment of the surgical circular-saw called a trephine. The eyes are much more prominent and dilated than is usual in sharks ; the iris is black, the pupil transparent and of a greenish color. “When the larger specimen, taken at night, was removed into a dark apartment, it afforded a very extraordinary spectacle. The entire inferior surface of the body and head emitted a vivid and greenish phosphorescent gleam, impart- ing to the creature, by its own light, a truly ghastly and terrific appearance. The luminous effect was constant, and not perceptibly increased by agitation or friction. I thought at one time it shone brighter when the fish struggled, but I was not satisfied that such was the fact. When the shark expired (which was not until it had been out of the water more than three hours), the luminous appearance faded 102 LIVING LIGHTS. entirely from the abdomen, and more gradually from other parts; lingering the longest around the jaws and on the fins. “The only part of the under surface of the animal which was free from luminosity was the black collar around the throat; and while the inferior surface of the pectoral, anal, and caudal fins shone with splendor, their superior surface (including the upper lobe of the tail-fin) was in darkness; as also were the dorsal fins, back, and summit of the head. I am inclined to believe that the luminous power of this shark resides in a peculiar secretion from the skin. It was my first impression that the fish had accidentally contracted some phosphorescent matter from the sea, or from the net in which it was captured; but the most rigid investigation did not confirm this suspicion, while the uniformity with which the luminous gleam occupied certain portions of the body and fins, its permanence during life, and decline and cessa- tion upon the approach and occurrence of death, did not leave a doubt in my mind that it was a vital principle, essential to the economy of the animal. The small size of the fins would appear to denote that this fish is not active in swimming ; and, since it is highly predaceous, and evidently of nocturnal habits, we may, perhaps, indulge in the hypothesis that the phosphorescent power it possesses is of use to attract its prey, upon the same principle as the Polynesian Islanders and others employ torches in night-fishing.” FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS (SURFACE FORMS). 103 CHAPTER XIII. FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS — (SURFACE FORMS). N calm nights the splash of the oars and the fall of spray from the bow of the boat startle many fishes resting at or near the surface, which dart away like comets, leaving a blaze of light behind, and giving the impression that they are light-givers or phosphorescent. This does not always follow; as, while many possessors of luminous spots undoubtedly approach the surface at night, as Scopelus (Plate X., Fig. 1), many owe their brilliant appearance to the luminosity of the medium in which they swim; in other words, the vigorous motion of their fins produces the same effect and result that is attained by darting the hand through water bearing phosphorescent animals. Jf such a display is produced by one fish, we may well imagine that a school moving rapidly would create a light of considerable intensity. Drifting over a school of menhaden, and peering down among them, each fish seems outlined in a golden halo; while coruscations of light appear to flash from the fishes as they move along, the presence of the school being indicated upon the water by a pale luminous spot. In more active fishes, as the mackerel, the display is still more brilliant, often presenting a blaze of light upon the surface, visible from the mast-head of a vessel for a long dis- 104 LIVING LIGHTS. tance, and often resulting in the capture of an entire school; as the mackerel-men, aware of the light produced by the fish, keep a lookout in the foretop; and upon its discovery, the great net is passed around it, the fishes becoming victims to the light they inadvertently produce. When the mackerel are tossed into the boat, they roll over in a golden mass in their struggles, hurling a cloud of spray into the air over boat, net, and men. In handling these fishes, phosphores- cent matter will sometimes come off upon the hands, and the gleaming fluid is seen running from the bodies; so, possibly, in some instances, the fishes possess a luminous secretion, as in the case of the shark of Dr. Bennett. The sunfish (Plate XVIII, Fig. 3), an extremely common form on our eastern shores, appears to have a wide geograph- ical range. In American waters, it is known as the sunfish, presumably from its oval shape. Two fins only are present, these being opposite one another, the tail represented by a mere ridge. The sunfish attains a height, from the tip of one fin to that of the other, of seven feet, and sometimes more, weighing several hundred pounds.“ Some years ago, while at the little fishing-village of May- port, at the mouth of the St. John’s River, Florida, one of these huge fishes ran aground on the bar, actually drawing too much water to cross. Its struggles attracted so much attention, that a boat was sent out, and the monster captured. I sent a photograph of the fish north, and the latter was afterwards purchased by the New-York Aquarium. It was the largest specimen of this fish I ever saw on exhibition. So sluggish are they, that, at Ogunquit, Me., the fishermen frequently ran alongside of them as they rolled about at the surface, and, thrusting a boat-hook into the small mouth, FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS (SURFACE FORMS). 105 hauled them aboard; or, if too heavy, lashed them to the side, in which position they were towed ashore, where the liver, the only valuable portion, was secured; though the mus- cular tissue was sometimes appropriated by the boys of the neighborhood, who found it a good substitute for India- rubber as an interior for base-balls. In a large specimen which I examined, the skin was cov- ered with a remarkable mucilaginous envelope, in which were numerous parasites; while in the mouth was a large goose- barnacle, which was situated just far enough in to escape being crushed by the formidable teeth. If asked to select a fish showing evidences of possible phosphorescence, I should name the sunfish, as the curious envelope of mucus seems particularly adapted as the seat of this remarkable phenome- non; but I have not only never observed its luminosity, but have been unable to obtain a direct statement from any one in this country as to its light-emitting quality. I give it a place among the luminous fishes, on the authority of T. Spencer Cobbold, M.D., F.L.S., who says, in referring to it, “It is nearly circular in form; and the silvery whiteness of the sides, together with their brilliant phosphorescence during the. night, has obtained for it, very generally, the appellation of sun or moon fish. Karl Semper, in his “ Animal Life,” says: “The fishermen of Nice assert that the moonfish (Orthagoriscus mola) is luminous;” but as no scientist, that I am aware of, makes a definite statement of personally observing its light, we will leave the moon or sun fish among the forms which are possibly phosphorescent, yet not proven so. Statements are often made regarding the phosphorescence 106 LIVING LIGHTS. of whales and other cetaceans; but the wondrous displays which they undoubtedly produce as they rise, perhaps to escape the ferocious attacks of the killer, are due only to the myriads of small light-givers, —meduse, salpew, crustaceans, and others, — which when disturbed become luminous. Among the well-known phosphorescent fishes, the Scopelus, found in the greater depths, rises at times, at night, to the surface. Scopelus humboldtit (Plate X., Fig. 1), has a double row of luminous spots on each side of the abdomen. One of the spots, enlarged in reflected light, is shown in the same plate. The phosphorescence of Myctophum erenulare, an ally of Scopelus, has been observed; and, at least on the Pacific coast, this little fish probably rises to the surface, a speci- men an inch and a half in length having been taken from the stomach of an albicore (Orcynus alalonga) in the Santa Barbara Channel. In this specimen a phosphorescent spot was seen on each mandible near the symphysis, thirty-three along the abdomen, six in front of the ventral fins, six more between the latter and the origin of the anal, and twenty- one between the front of the anal fin and the base of the tail; quite enough, if all are luminous, to outline the little creature in lines of vivid brightness. The long, arrow-like gars are peculiarly surface forms, it being evidently only with extreme difficulty that they leave the surface. Allied to them is Hemtramphus, in which the lower jaw only is elongated ; and, according to Giinther, this interesting fish has a gleaming phosphorescent pustule at the tip of its tail, a circumstance that makes it one, not only of the most unique of the surface forms, but of all the finny light-bearers. Many other forms known to possess luminous FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS (SURFACE FORMS.) 107 spots undoubtedly visit the surface at night, just as many large predatory fishes then come well in shore. Indeed, the night is the feeding-time of the southern fishes; at least, the season when they are upon their travels. At Tortugas, on the Florida reef, the shoal to the west of the key was deserted during the day, except by schools of mullet, small barracuda, and a few others; but at night the sandy shoal seemed fairly alive with large fishes. Man- eaters, ten or fourteen feet long, ranged up and down, readily taking the hook; and nearly all the large fishes, which by day lived upon the outer reef or in the channel, could be taken here; while loud splashes and vivid displays of phos- phorescence told that the large rays, indeed the great manta itself, ventured in shore in nocturnal rambles. 108 LIVING LIGHTS. CHAPTER XIV. LUMINOUS BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS. N floating over the great coral reef of the Florida penin- sula one day, the boat.startled a number of large cranes which were standing upon a small key; and, as they laboriously flew away, my companion, a sportsman of experience, related to me the following incident: “Some years ago,” he said, «I was much more confined than I am at present, and rarely had an opportunity of enjoying hunting during the day-time; so I began a series of moonlight excursions about the reef, generally securing a green turtle, if nothing else, and occa- sionally a large bird. “One evening I visited one of the large keys; and before I was ready to return the moon had gone down, leaving me in the dark. It was a perfectly calm night, not a ripple appearing upon the water, so that every sound was heard with striking distinctness ; and the break of the sea upon the outer reef came to me in a sullen roar, occasionally varied by the crash of some huge fish as it left the water. I was making my way to my boat, when suddenly I perceived on the sands several dim lights. Thinking it the reflection of the stars upon the water, perhaps, I pushed on; and when I was almost upon them, there came a flapping of wings, while above I saw indistinctly the forms of several large cranes, PLATE XXVI, LUMINOSITY OF HERON’S BREAST. LUMINOUS BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS. 109 that’ made their eseape -before I-thought of.shooting. The light disappeared with them; and my opinion is, that what. I saw was’ “phosphorescent light upon the breast of the birds.” I have been told by several sportsmen that they have heard of such an occurrence; and I have always been im- pressed with the belief that the greasy, oily, powder-down. patches might become luminous under certain conditions, but never until the present year have been able to find reliable personal testimony. The following statement, pre-: pared for me by Mr. Isaac W. Worrall of Philadelphia, shows that the phosphorescence of birds is a fact. To obtain a full account of Mr. Worrall’s observations, I made out a list of questions, which he has kindly answered; and which, from the great interest connected with the occurrence, are given in full: — “Upon what birds did you observe the luminosity ?” “The night heron (Nyctiardea grisea) and blue crane (Ardea cerulea).” “ What was the situation of the light or lights?” “One on the breast, and one on each side of the hips, between the hips and the tail.” “ Upon how many birds did you observe the light ?” “Upon four different birds, including the one I shot.” “ How far could you see the lights in the living bird?” “TI saw the light plainly at a distance of about san yards.” “Did you notice the reflection of the light upon “the water?” “No.” “Was the light brilliant enough to make a reflection?” ° 110 LIVING LIGHTS. “Before I fired, the light appeared equivalent to two candles.” “Where was the bird you shot when first observed ?” “ Standing in about six inches of water.” “Give a practical example of its brilliancy.” “When I aimed, I considered it equal to the light of a hand-lamp or lantern, and could see my gun-sight quite plainly against it.” “Could you have read by the light as it appeared when you took the bird from the water?” “T have read small print with a dimmer light than that upon the bird immediately after it was shot.” “Do you think the bird can conceal or display its light at will?” “T know the bird has full control of the light. I saw it open and shut it four times when I was crawling towards it. I stopped when it put out the light, and advanced when it was displayed again.” (The bird may have turned. — AUTHOR.) “ What was the state of the weather when you shot the bird?” “A clear, dark night in spring.” (Kansas.) “Did you notice the sex of the bird?” “No,” “How long did the light last after you shot the bird?” “The light faded as the bird died, disappearing at death.” “Did you notice any odor while the light was appar- ent?” “No.” “Did the luminous matter come off upon your hands?” “T did not touch it.” : LUMINOUS BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS. 111 “Was the light a steady glow?” “It lasted about as long as I could count twenty at moderate speed.” “What was the color of the light?” “Tt reminded me of phosphorescent wood, and was whitish.” When my informant first observed the light, he was a hundred and fifty feet away, and while slowly creeping toward it saw it disappear four times, the intervals between the disappearance and re-appearance being long enough for him to count twenty at a moderate rate; from which he assumed that the bird has the light more or less under con- trol, and governs it by raising or depressing the feathers that cover the powder-down patches. When he fired at the bird, the light on the breast was so intense that he distinctly saw the sight of his gun against it, and he describes its brilliancy as comparable to that of a lantern or hand-lamp. He did not notice a reflection upon the water, as he was some distance away, and in a recumbent position, which rendered it impossible. The bird fell where it was stand- ing, in six’inches of water; and taking it by the wings, he threw it upon the shore, noticing and watching the three phosphorescent spots, one in front, and one on each side of the hips, between the hips and the tail. The bird died slowly, the light gradually dying out, and disappearing entirely with death ; a fact which I consider to be of the greatest interest, showing that the phosphorescence is not an accidental occur- rence, depending upon a favorable condition of the greasy powder-down patches, or associated entirely with their decomposition, but is essentially due to some physiological 112 LIVING LIGHTS. action, and dependent upon the life of the bird; and the areas of the powder-down patches may be considered true photogenic structures. The bird shot and examined by Mr. Worrall was known to him as the blue crane, and I assume from his description that it is the Ardea cerulea. The other birds in which the light was observed were night herons. The light was in the so-called powder-down patches, which form a characteristic feature of the herons, and doubtless serve the same purpose, as a lure, in all. In a night heron, which I recently obtained from a valley among the foothills of the Sierra Madre range, there were three of those patches, and any heron will show them. One is directly in front upon the breast, while the other two are upon each side, midway between the base of the tail and the upper portion of the thigh-bone. They are not visible unless the feathers which cover these portions are brushed aside, when a mass of oily small plumes are seen, of a decided yellow hue, growing closely together, and about two inches in length. A yellow powder will be found profusely mixed among them, and is due to their barbed tips breaking off as fast as they develop. In my specimen, just after death the patches were quite oily, the substance coming off upon the hands, and smelling like ordinary bird oil. As soon as possible I took the bird into a perfectly dark room, to test it for phosphorescent light, but not the slightest gleam was perceptible. Just under the patches a large accumulation of fat is seen; and from these portions probably exudes the substance, which, during the life of the bird, becomes luminous upon exposure to the air. In the specimen alluded to, after it had been dead for several days, the shafts.of the feathers of the patch LUMINOUS BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS. 113 seemed suffused with a dark oily substance. The feathers of the powder-down patches did not burn more readily than feathers from other parts, and the odor was the same. These patches are not strictly confined to cranes and herons. The kirumbo (or Leptosmus discolor) of Madagascar has a highly developed patch upon each side of the rump. These birds are related to the rollers, and are remarkable for their games in mid-air. The bitterns have two pairs of powder-down patches, the true herons three, and the curious boatbills (Cochlearius) four pairs, which, if all luminous, must render them the centre of attraction in the South- American swamps. The interesting oil-bird Podargus (or Guarcharo), that builds in the island of Trinidad and on various parts of the South-American coast, is a fruit-eating, nocturnal bird allied to the night-hawks. Curiously enough, it has no oil-glands, but two large powder-down patches, one on each side of the rump, composed, according to Dr. Sclater, who made the discovery, of about forty feathers each. In Plate XXVII., an ideal view is given of the possible appearance of the light of a large heron (Ardeomega goliath) of Africa. Whether these lights are of sufficient brightness to attract fishes is a question; but, knowing that fishes are readily attracted by light of fire, we may well imagine that a crane or heron, if standing in the water in perfect stillness, with this soft light a short distance above it, might possibly avail itself of such a lure, though such a view is purely con- jectural. Mr. Charles Harris of Pasadena, Cal., informed me that several years ago he entered a heronry in Maine on a dark night, and distinctly observed numbers of lights too large for insects; and, moreover, they disappeared with the 114 LIVING LIGHTS. birds, so that he was impressedethat there was some associa- tion between the light and the herons. That birds should be luminous is not, perhaps, strange. Other vertebrates appear to possess this gift in an equally remarkable manner. Some years ago an English gentleman, a lover of sport, was travelling in South America; and among the tales that he heard from the natives was one that related to a monkey with fiery eyes, as they expressed it. It seemed that one season, when the tribe was far up the branch of a small river, a woman wandered off into the forest at night, and returned much alarmed, stating to ‘the rest that an animal had appeared to her with eyes gleaming like coals, Several of the natives went to the spot designated, and were repaid with a glimpse of the strange creature. Such a tale was, of course, not received in good faith, being considered an example of the inventive fancy of these children .of the forest; yet, curiously enough, Reninger the naturalist, who travelled extensively in Paraguay, states that he has seen the eyes of the monkey, Nyetipithecus trivir- gatus, so brilliant in complete darkness that they illuminated objects at a distance of half a foot. In several instances I have referred to the phosphorescence of animals being used possibly as a warning; at least, this is the explanation given the phenomena by some observers, and one of the most inter- esting cases that may possibly come under this head is the luminosity of frogs’ eggs. This has been noticed in various parts of Europe; masses of luminous matter being found © about ponds and damp places, and termed mucilage atmos- phérique, as it was believed by the simple peasants to be part of the tail of comets. On one occasion several peasants were travelling from one g ‘HSId SOONINOT XX 3LV1d LUMINOUS BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS. 115 village to another at night, when suddenly a large meteor shot across the heavens, seeming to fall before them. A few miles farther on, in crossing a small swamp, they found sevy- eral patches of a jelly-like matter, which gleamed as if at a white heat, which so alarmed them, that they ran into the next village, crying that a comet had fallen, and was burn- ing up the earth. So much excitement was created that some scientific men visited the spot, finding the comet to be merely the mucus that had surrounded the eggs of a frog, and had become luminous. If the mucus was luminous when it surrounded the eggs, we may well imagine that birds would be deterred from eating them; but the luminosity probably precedes decomposition in the mass after the young have escaped. Among the lizards, a gecko has been mentioned as a light- giver, as if these curious creatures were not remarkable enough in themselves without this attendant phenomenon. According to Dr. Carpenter, the eggs of the gray lizard have been seen to emit light; and in Surinam he states that a frog or toad is luminous, especially in the interior of its mouth. Thus we see that this strange light is found in some form from the lowest to the highest animals, — one of the com- monest of phenomena, yet presenting a problem defying solution. 116 LIVING LIGHTS. CHAPTER XV. MAN’S RELATIONS TO THE PHENOMENON OF PHOSPHORESCENCE. R. PHIPSON, the eminent scientist, states that he once observed certain phenomena in man, the light being a brilliant scintillation of a metallic pink color. It is well known that human beings under certain physical conditions become luminous. In some cases among the igno- rant great excitement has been occasioned, and the victim avoided as a pest, or something capable of dire disaster to the entire community. Ina small German village, an English physician discovered a man who was luminous at night, and who had caused much ‘alarm among the superstitious. Bartholin records an instance of an Italian lady whom he calls Mulier splendens, who suddenly found that, when rubbed with a linen cloth in the dark, her body gave out a brilliant phosphorescent light; so that she appeared in a dark- ened room like a veritable fire-body, an awe-striking object to her superstitious servant, who fled from her speechless with fear and amazement, thinking that her mistress was being consumed. Dr. Kane records a very curious instance of luminosity, probably electric, which played about his person. He was on MAN’S RELATIONS TO PHOSPHORESCENCE. 117 his way with Petersen to an Esquimau settlement, in order to procure food. Their thermometer indicated 42° C. (44° Fahr). With their weary dogs and sledges, they had reached some untenanted huts at a place called Anoatok, after thirty miles march from the ship. “ We took to the best hut,” says Dr. Kane, “ filled in its broken front with snow, housed our dogs, and crawled in among them. It was too cold to sleep. Next morning we broke down our door, and tried the dogs again. They could hardly stand.