The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-09-02
THEY CARRY LIGHTS.
LUMINOUS BIRDS THAT HUNTERS
HAVE DISCOVERED.

The Herous Powder Patch, Which Makes
Two Candle Licht-C;-ds of Madagas-
car, Trinidad ard Other Places That I:e-
come PhospEorescect at Will.
A bolated sportsman returning from
days sport found himself late III the
evening On the edge Ct q fiat Or marsh
which bcrdercd the path. The moon had
not risen, and the darkness was so i'll
tense that was obliged 10 move slowly
ard carefully. AS he vailed along, gun
or shoc!Jer. he thought he saw a nun
ber Of lights, some moving, others std
tionary. AS they We're III the river bed,
he knew ti,at they could ret be lanterns,
and for so,,,c time Ec was panied; but
being of III inquisitive mind he walked
down to the water to investigate AS
the stream was slow running, shallow
one, he had no difficulty i'll wadlns III,
and soon convinced himself that the
lights were not carried by men, and
were either ignes fatui CT from some
cause unknown. To settle the apparent
mystery he crept as close as he could,
took careful aim and fired. AT the dis
charge the lights disappeared; bl,t, keep
ing his eye On the spot whero they had
been he walked quickly to it, and
found, to his amaze,ne,t, q night heron,
uoo:l whose breast cleaned ID" mysterl-
Gus light. The sportsman told NE Of
this incident, ard, while [ had often
heard Of the light Oh the hcron's breast,
I never before could fnd any one who
had personally witnessed the phenome-
non; consequently propounded nuaner-
Gus questions. The observer saw the
light distinctly; first, at q distance CT
at least so yards, or $50 feet. There
were three lights upon each bird-one
upon each side between the hips and
tail and one upon the breast. He saw
the lights of at least four individuals,
and was so interested that he observed
them ill carefully, and as to their in
tensity stated to me that each light was
the equivalent Of two c,ldlcs, so that
when he aimed he could see the gun
sight against it.
AS to whether the bird had control Of
tie light, he believed that it did, as be
saw the lights open and shut several
times as he crawled toward the bird,
and he stopped when the light disap-
peared and crept on when it came
again. The light did not endure long
after the bird was shot, fading away
almost Immediately. III color the light
was white and reminded him Of phos-
phorescent wood.
Stories Of luminous birds have been
related by sportSmen occasionally, but,
so far as know, exact facts and data
have never before been obtained on this
most interesting and somewhat sensa-
tional subject A friend in Florida told
me that he had distinctly seen light
moving about in flock Of cranes at
night ard became satisfied that the
light was upon the breast Of a bird.
Another friend informed me that on en-
tering heron rookery at night he had
distinctly observed lights moving about
among the birds.
That herons have peculiar possible
light producing apparatus is we'll
known. These are called powder down
patches and can be found by turning up
the long feathers on the beron's breast,
where will be found g patch Of yellow,
greasy material that sometimes drops
off or fills the feathers in the form of a
yellow powder. This powder is pro-
duced By the evident decomposition of
the SINAI; feathers, producing just such
a substance as one might expect would
become phosphorescent, as there is little
doubt that it does.
The cranes and herons. are not the
only birds having these oily lamps if SO
we may term them. A Madagascar bird,
called kirumbo, has Large patch on
each side Of the runp. The bitterns
have two pairs Of patches, the true her
ons three, while the curious boat bills
have eight, which, if at times ali lu-
minous, would give the bird u most
COuSDICUOUS, uOU ~ t)SCt4<>1, e&pk'St>A
ance at night.
Some years ago q party Of explorers
entered a large cave on the island Of
Trinidad that had hitherto been consid-
cred inaccessible. To their astonishment
they found it filled with birds which
darted about Ill the dark IL such num-
bers that they struck the explorers and
rendered their passage not merely dis
agreeable, but dangerous. The birds
proved to be night hawks known as oil
birds, and in great demand for the oil
they contain, and it IS barely possible
that these birds arc also light giycrs.
The powder down patches of the Oil
bird are upon each side Of the rulnp.
AS to the use Of such lights to u bird
there has been much conjecture, but it
is thought that it may be q lure to at
tract fishes. Thus it is we'll known that
fishes and various marine animals are
attracted BY light, and a heron standing
motionless in the water, the light from
ire broact IF onno1 IN two candles