Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-06-14
The Ignis Fatuus.

Ignis Fatuus, pickering light seen at night
over the surface of marshy grounds or grave
yards. Sometimes 1t moves quietly along, re-
sembling the light of II lantern carried in the
hand; and again it appears not alone, but two
or three dancing merrly up and down. In the
night mists it seems like the light from some
neighboring house and many traveller has
been enticed by its false promise, and led into
dangerous boys from which he found no escape
till tn" appearance of the morning light 1t
IS not strange that a character Of mystery
should have attached to this luminous appear
ance, and that the ignorant should have as
crloed its occurrence to some evil spirit They
called it " Will o the wisp,' and Z" Jack with
lantern, and this imaginary person is often
alluded to by the English poets thus Parnell,
in his Fairy Tale: y
The VIII, who bears the wispy fire,
To trail the SWANS among the mire.
1t is commonly believed that the light retires
before one who pursueS it; and this notion is
confirmed by the statements of some observers,
and disproved by those of others. In vol. XVI.
of the " American journal of Science p.
246, instances are noticed in paper by the
Rev. John Mitchell of Connecticut, OF persons
coming up with the light, one man catching it
in his hat but finding nothing there. In Mil
ner's C Gallery Of Nature D. 244, is recorded
statement of Mr. Blossom who carefully inves-
tigated the phenomena in the forest of Gorbitz,
in Brandenburg. On marsby spot he observ-
ed BLUSH purple flames at night where bubbles
of air issued during the day. These flames re-
tired as he approached, in consequence, he sup
posed, of the air being agitated by his move
ment. On standing perfectly still they soon
appeared within reach and then carefully
guarding against disturbing the air by lis
breath, he succeeded in singing piece of pa
per, which became covered with viscous mois-
ture. AT last, using narrow slip Of paper,
he had the pleasure of seeing it take fire. By
disturbing the air over the spot, he caused the
flames to disappear entirely, but in few min
utes after quiet was restored, they appeared
again over the air bubbles, apparently without
having communication with any known source
of flame. On suddenly introducing torch af-
ter extingushing the flames, kind Of explo,
sion Was heard, and a rel light was seen over
or square feet Of the marsh, which diminish
in height. He concluded that the cause of the
ignis latu us was the evolut Jn of inhammabe
gas from the marsh, and that the flames existed
by day as well as at night though not then
visible. The lights seen occasionally over
churchyards are of similar appearance to those
described. These meteors are supposed to be
the result of the spontaneous combustion of
inAammable gases generated by the decompos-
ton of vegetable or animal bodies. Phosphor-
cited hydrogen, it is well known, bursts into
fame as it is allowed to escape into the air from
the vessel in which it is prepared. 1t is pro
duced by the decay of animal matter and if
thinly ditfused here and there over the surface
OF a marsh, may present the changing, flicker
ing light Of the igns fatuus, as difficult to To-
cate as the illumination Of the fire flies, for
which it has been mistaken by several eminent
naturalists. What is known as marsh gas is Il
highly inAammable calburetted hydrogen,
which bubbles up through the water that covers
Doggy places and may be nfamed on the sur
face. This may by ignited by phosphorettcd
hydrogen, and add to the extent and perma
nency of the flames The small quantity of
these combustible matters present in the air will
account for the feebleness of the flames, which
have rarely been known to set fire to other sub
stances; and the varying quantity and purity
of that exhaled would explain the constantly
shifting brightness of the light. In the account
of this phenomenon in the " Gallery of Nature "
referred to, it is stated that in the middle of
the last century the snow on the summit of the
Apennines appeared enveloped in flame and
in the winter of 1893 hay ricks in Wales were
set on fire by burning gaseous cxhalations.