Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-16
THEY CARRY LIGHTS.
LUMINOUS BIRDS THAT HUNTERS
HAVE DISCOVERED.
The uerou's Powder Pntc!:, Which, Makes
a Two Candle LiEh.-Birds OF .Iada.as-
car. Trinidad and Other Places That Be-
come PhosrhoYcscent ut Will.


car, Trinidad and Other Places That Be-
come PhosrhoYcscent ut Will.
4 belated sportsman returning from
!, days sport found himself late in the
evening on the edge Of fat or marsh
which bordered the path. The moon had
not risen, and the darkness was so IN
tense that he was Obliged TO move slowly
end carefully. AS he walked along, gun
on shoulder, he thought he saw a num-
Der Of lights, some moving, others sta
tionary. AS they were in the river bed,
he knew that they could not be lanterns,
and for some time he was puzzled; but
being OF an inquisitivc mind he walked
down to the water to investigate. As
the stream was slow running. shallow
one, he had no difficulty in wading in,
and soon convinced himself that the
lights were not carried by men, and
were either ignes fatui or from some
cause unknown. To settle the apparent
mystery he crept as close Us he could,
hook careful aim and fired. At the dis
charge the lights disappeared; but, keep
ing his eye on the spot where they had
been nc walked quickly to il, and
found, TO his amazement, a night heron,
upon whose breast cleaned the mysteri-
Gus light. The sportsman told me of
this incident, and, while / had often
heard Of the light OIL the heron's breast,
| never before could find any one who
had personally witnessed the phenone-
non; consequently propounded numer-
Gus questions. The observer saw the
light distinctly; first, at "a distance of
at least 80 yards, or 100 feet. There
we're three lights upon each bird-one
upon each side between the hips and
.ail and one upon the breast. He saw
the lights of ut least four individuals,
and was so interested that he observed
them all carefully, and as to their in
| tensity stated to me that each light was
the equivalent of two candles, so that
| when he aimed he could see the gun
sight against it.
AS to whether the bird had control Of
the light. ne believed that it did, as he
saw the lights open and shut several
times IS he crawled toward the bird,
and he stopped when the light disap-
| peared and crept on when it came
| again. Tho light did not endure long
after the bird was shot, fading away
| almost immediately. In color the light
| was white and reminded him of phos-
phOresccnt wood.
Stories of luminous birds have been
related by sportsmen occasionally, but,
so far as l know, exact fasts ana data
| have never before been obtained on this
most interesting and somewhat sersa.
tional subject. A friend i'll Florida told
me that he had distinctly seen light
moving about in flock Of cranes Il;
night and became satisfied that the
| light was upon tho breast of bird.
Another friend informed me that on er-
tering heron rookery at night he had
distinctly observed lights moving abcu,
among the birds.
That herons have peculiar possible
light producing apparatus is well
known. These arc called powder down
patches and can be found by turning CI
the long feathers On the Ecron's breast,
where will be found patch Of yellow,
| greasy material that sometimes drops
off or fills the feathers III the form Of q
yellow powder. This powder is pro.
dUced by the evident decomposition Of
the small feathers, producing just such
"a substance as one might expect woUlo
become phosphorcsccut, as there is little
doubt that ii does.
The cranes and herons are not the
| -,
we may term them. y Madagascar bird
called kirumbo, has Il large patch OF
each side Of the rump. The bittorn:
have two pairs Of patches, the true her
ons three, while the curious boat bill:
have eight, which, if at times all lu
minous, would give the bird 4 mos
conspicuous, not TO say spectral, appear
ance at night.
Some years ago party of explorer:
entered u large cave on the island OF
Trinidad that had hitherto been corsid
cred inaccessible. To their astonishmcn
they found it filed with birds which
dartCd about i'll the dark III such mum
bers that they struck the explorers ant
rendered their passage not merely dis
agreeable, bat dangerous. The bird.
proved to be night hawks. known as OF
birds, and i'll great demand for the OF
they contain. and it is barely possibl,
that these birds are also light givors
The powder down patches of the oi
bird are upon each side of the rump.
As to the use Of such lights to Il birt
there has been much conjecture, but i
is thought that it may be Il lure to at
tract fishes. Thus it is well known tina
, fishes ard various marine animals ar
attracted by light, and heron standing
motionlcss i'll the water, the light from
its breast, IL equal to two candles
would be plainly seen for i considerable
: distance by various kinds of fishes, VIII
would undoubtedly approach within tin
reach of the eagle eye and sharp bill O
the heron. and so fall victims to thei
curiosity. II this is true solving of tn
mystery II Is one Of the most remark
, able provisions of nature.
> There is hardly group Of animal
that does not include Some light Siyer
Of great beauty; bat 1t is rot general
; known that some Of the higher animal
] also produce Light at times. Rcnninge,
el.. -.