, 1889-08-08
PHOSPH0RESCENCE.
TIE LIGHT WHICH ILLUmlNEs WITH
OUT CREATING HEAT.


Bug" of the Northern Section.
There is no subject which the re.
searches of scientists have more COM
pietely failed to elucidate than that of
the cause of animal, mineral and yege-
table phosphorescence-the light which,
unlike all other lights, iIiumines with
out either consuming or giving out any
perceptible heat The ocean is the great
storehouse of phoSphorescent light. On
its surface myriads of noctiluce Qittle
creatures just visible to the naked eye
are often seen lighting the waves for
miles, and presenting wonderful effects
when the water is broken by the bow of
a shipor the oars of boat. Persons who
have passed through stretch of water
crowded with noctilucae say that the
light they give dims that of the stars
and makes the sea look as though it were
a vast heaving mass of metal at white
heat.
The intensity of the light is explained
by the immense quantity of the little
animals, which are computed to number
thirty thousand or SO to the cubic foot.
Bathers in waters where they abound
have often been amazed to find, on
emerging, that their bodies are rendered
luminous by the noctiluce that cling to
them.
kind of sea slug that is met with in
the Mediterranean and the Pacific emits
light from certain spots in the body. II
IS capable of being kept in an aquarium
lxye
tho famous ono at Naples. When dis
turbed or swimming the light makes il
look like flame in the water.
PYRosoNlE
The most splendid of the many lumi.
nous inhabitants Of the sea are the pyro.
somae- At night they look as though
made of glowing white hot iron; diffus
ing SO strong light that other fishes arc
rendered visible when they happen to
swim within thesphere Of their radiance.
\ Distinguishing feature Of the pyro-
Noma is the variety Of tints that it gives
forth-orange, green. azure, blue, white.
and various shades of dark red having
been all noticed by various observers.
\ tiny kind of shark that is met with off
the shores of tho southern states OF
America is noted light giver. Speci-
mems captured and taken into a dark
apartment present an extraordinary spec
taCso. The entire surface of the head
and body emits greenish gleam that is
constant, and is not, as in the case Of
most OF these luminous inhabitants Of
the sea, increased by friction and agita-
ton
The smallness Of tho fins of this fish
show that it is not an active swimmer,
and the assumption is that its light is
useful in attracting its prey. on the prin.
ciple of the torches used by many saw
ages in fishing. Several kinds of crabs
arc luminous. One named the sapphirina
is noted for the intensely vivid character
Of the light that proceeds from it. So
brilliant is it that it does not need dark
ness to make its presence known. but
corruscates blue, purple, green, gold and
sapphire rays in full daylight. The
presence of school of mackerel is often
indicated by the phosphorescent gleam
which these fish produce. Fishermen
often descry them at great distance by
this light, and hasten to surround them
by their nets. 1t is thought that mack.
erel mako n secretion which. gives tho
light, as after they are captured q gleam-
ing fluid is noticed running OFF their
bodies, and sometimes covering the hands
of the mea who toss them from the boat
FIREBLIEs.
1t has been urged that the poet was
guilty Of an exaggeration in describing
the firefiies as giving sufficient light to
be of any service; but the accounts of
travellers in South America, who tell US
that the natives light their path while
journeying by a couple of these insects
tied to their feet. show that ho was
speaking quite within the bounds of pos
sibility. At evening entertainments in
that part of tho world it is customary
far ladies to decorate their hair and
dresses with firefiies, confined by deli
cate silken threads,
The natives of Vera Cruz do quite a
large trade in firefiies. which they catch
by waving q blazing coal ut the end OF
stick. The insects fly toward the light,
and are captured in nets. The firefiies
of Northern America differ from those
Just described in the fact that they emit
their light in capricious flashes, instead
of with q steady. uniform glow. This
popularity has gained for them the name
Of lightning bugs" Their light is very
similar to that of our glowworm. A
story is told of some French peasants
who were returning home one night and
saw n meteor fall through the sky in
front of them. about half l;iIe further
on they came to a glowing mass in q
ditch and rushed away terrified, dcclar-
ing that star had fallen Upon the earth
and was burning it up. On Investigation
it was found that this burning star was
pothing more uncanny than /, mass of
frogs eggs that had developed l,hosphor-
eScence.
Several varieties OF the regetai lie king
1om arc luminous in u greater or less
degree One of The fungi, whit:1 is not
1T all uncommon OH the walls of damp,
dark mines, clvrrns, etc, occl2onally
emits sufficient tight Ia admit al the
reading of ordinary print by it. The
emission of light from the commm po-
tato when i'll Il state of decomposition is
sometimes very striking Several Of the
Indian plants and grasses arc also lumin-
GUS, and it is said that in 1915 the noun
tains near Syrcc were nightly illuminated
by their means. The root stock of
plant from the Ouraghum jungle, Sup
posed to bc an orchid, POSSESSES the Pc
culiar property of becoming luminous
when wctted. while. when dry. it ,s
quite iusterIess The hairy red poppy.
the nasturtium and the double marigold
are also luminous to a certain degree
London Standard.