The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-08-30
a Floating Naturalist.


Captain Waterman, of the ship Hamilton
Fish, of the Black Ball Line, New York.
may he called floating naturalist. The
captain recently inviteda friend who visited
him on the ship into room, which was a
combination of conservatory, aquarium and
ZOO. Above in the windows were rare
tropical plants, and the captain said there
were still more in the stewards room.
Globes of fishes were hanging from nails,
and two snakes lay dormant In another
pendent globe. . .
''Thcsc snakes" said he, ''are glass
snakes. They're really not snakes, but be-
long to the lizard family. They're called
gass-snakcs because If you strike them
they fall to pieces. Those plants right over
your head came from California. Here's
plant in this tube in which you can sec the
sap circulating. Now, here's something |
want to show you, and if they're alive
you're the first man in this country that's
seen them"
Captain Waterman then took down from
hook tube shaped bottle that was appa-
rently empty of everything save water. lie
set the bottle on table and then went
abaft to attend to some business. The re-
porter looked at the bottle and for time
saw nothing. Then there were two or three
little flashes of rainbow light that suddenly
disappeared.
The captain came back .'
81 hope they're alive" said he eyes,
they arc. Do you notice that iridescence7
Well it's generally been supposed that the
phosphorescencc at sea has been caused by
these little crustacea. | never believed this,
and have for long time been trying to
capture some of them. | succeeded this
voyage, off Montauk Point, where there
are millions of these fishes, and l found
that the iridescence is caused by their
minute scales"
These little flashes that Captain Water
man had preserved 80 carefully were almost
too small for measurement. They could
readily be seen, however, darting about in
the bottle in which they were imprisoned.
'l have q number of them mounted on
microscopic slides" said the Captain, as he
produced box out of a locl1ct. This box
being opened showed a number of pieces of
glass, each holding little grayisl object.
The iridesccnce was all gone. ,"
''Do you carry microscope with you 2'
asked the reporter. :
The Captain laughed.
81 carry five of them" he answered. ~
ought to, for am member of five micros-
copical societies. Look here" -.. " o..
And the Captain opened locker after
locker, showing microscopes tubes for
boiling infusoria, collecting specimens, &c.
Captain Waterman then developed new
kink in science. .'E" .
''Hcrc is little bottle" said he, "full of
diatoms, almost the lowest kind of animal
matter. Some time ago noticed that
lichen, after being taken off rock and
dried for days, could be rcvivifcd, and l
was led to observe if the same might not be
tho case with diatoms I l kept these in
clay for'several days and then put somo
water on them. Then put them under
tho microscope and was pleased to see
them move. 1t had been suggested that
this action was owing to the Brunonian
movement, which occurs amor" all atoms
under the microscope, owing, as some
think, to the evaporation of water, but l
found in this examination the same charac-
teristics that are noticed when living
diatoms are eXamincd."" t'i