The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-06-21

burning, apparently with many tints, in
the glow-worm. There is no lack of ma
terial. It is the common phenomenon Of
the woods and the forest, yet the learned
scientist can give no better explanation of
it than the boy who gingerly handles his
"witch-Wood."
Some of the uses to which this phenom-
enon is put are very singular. A certain
bird in South America was observed by a
naturalist to be engaged in catching fire.
flies, but not apparently eating them. The
nest of the bird was finally observed at
night by a NATIVES, who was collecting for
the naturalist. ~ = s~-~s-> .sss-ssz5s
He was attracted to it by the twinkling
of lights, which investigation, showed
entangled in the nest. So many were
held in this manner that the naturalist
felt justified in making the statement that
the bird deliberately ornamented its nest
with the living lights for it's aesthetic
qualification. ,z-s -
This would seem improbable were it not
that there are other instances Of orna-
mentioning birds, ,well ;substantiated. The
gardener bird is an example. It ereets a
rates the floor and cultivates little gar
den. Every day fresh flowers are plucked
and strewn about and they are carried
away as they fade About this garden
and house the birds walk, enjoying the
aesthetic surroundings. -"
Equally curious are the habits of some
Of the bower birds, which decorate their
bowers with shells, bits of colored rags
and flowers. II
The glow-worms are perhaps the most
familiar light-giyers, and one found in
New Zealand is very singular. The
miniature forms, or larvae, secrets pecu-
liar mucus upon which they seem to slide
along like snail, and out of this secre-
ton the insect forms q web or house.
The larya stretches out it's head, accord
ing to A. Norris, and attaches thread
of mucus to some object, and by repeated
movements so weaves q mass of braces
and then connects them. Finally the little
recess Or cave is covered with a web
gold, so far rs appearances go. Imagine
a house, that, when completed. blazes
with tight of its own, every board, shin
gle, window and door shining with soft
golden light that could not be felt or de-
tected by the most delicate instrument,
and some idea of this strange insect house
may be had. 5S@% 81 I
What the object is we can only assume.
Possibly it is to attract prey, as the insect
is voracious and has been observed eat
ing other insects and even little crusta-
ceans that had become entangled in the
net that, like a false beacon light, has
attracted them. Light is well known to
allure insects to destruction, and many
night-fyers would dart at the bright light
and become imprisoned in the fatal lure. .
Among the light-givers of the deep
ocean there is, an ane1nOne-a cousin OF
the corals-that emits light at times.
attaching itself to crabs by its sucking
disk, SO that, while an extremely slow
mover itself, it moves about with its COM
panion and sees the world at the bottom
Of the sea, the pale light that CLEANS
about its tentacles possibly attracting the
minute prey that constitutes it's food.
In Southern California some strange
times seen, especially after the first rains
Of the season. Upon one OCCASION in
walking through an orange grove at night
to note the lights, my foot accidentally
overturned a knob of earth, upon which
bits of cleaning, greenish-yellow light
few. in every direction, while q larger
mass was SO brilliant that I could almost
haye told the time by my watch.
The exhibition might have been dupli-
Gated by sprinkling greenish PHOSPHORUS
over the ground. The light -giver was an
earthwOrm, one of the most loWly and
insignificant Of animals, yet its display Of
light raised it to the rank of a veritable
maker Of splendors. #|.5
The light-giving animals have not been
put to any serious use by man, but they
have often figured in decorate A
Mexican lady once appeared at a garden
party covered with irefies that present
ed a brilliant, appearance. 4
Several naturalists have succeeded in
writing description Of luminous animals
by their. own light. This is true Of Bi.
bra, who described the pyrosoma by its
own CLEANS, using the animals MS d chan
delier; and of Bennett, the naturalist,
who wrote an account Of luminous
shark as it filled his cabin with strange
Light, which did not die away until some
time after the death of the fish. Charles
Nrednricls EInldnr in philadolr,lt;a N;nans