The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-09-15
THEY CARRY LIGHTS.
LUMINOUS BIRDS THAT HUNTERS
HAVE DISCOVERED.
The Heron's Powder Patch. which Makes
Two Candle LIght-Birds Of Msdagss-
car, Trinidad and other Places That he
come Phosphorescent ut win.


A belated sportsman returning from
days sport found himself late in the
evening on the edge Of fiat 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 |
and 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 inquisitive 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 as he could,
took careful aim and fred. At the dis
charge the lights disappeared; but, keep
ing his eye on the spot where they had
been he walked quickly to it, and
found, to his amazement, 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 on the heron's breast,
never before could find any one who
had personally witnessed the phenome-
non; consequently propounded numer-
Gus questions The observer saw the
light distinctly; first, at distance OF
at least 80 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 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. j..
As to whether the bird had control OF
the light, he believed that 1T did, as he
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 1T came
again. The 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-
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 and became satisfied that the
light was upon the breast OF bird
Another friend informed me that on en-
tering heron rookery at night he hat
) distinctly observed lights moving abou
among the birds
That herons have peculiar possible
, light producing apparatus is vel
known. These are called powder dow
, patches and can be found by turning nj
o the long feathers on the heron's breast
o where will be found patch Of yellow
{ greasy material that sometimes drop
Il off or fills the feathers in the form OF
yellow powder. This powder is pro
. duced by the evident decomposition
3 the small feathers, producing just sue
|. a substance as one might expect woul
become phosphorescent, as there is littl
doubt that it does.
The cranes and herons are not tn
n only birds having these oily lamps, If
re we may term them. A Madagascar birc
's called kirumbo, has large patch o
d each side Of the rump. The bitterr
q have two pairs Of patches, the true hel
3 ons three, while the curious boat bill
II have eight, which, if at times all IL
III minous, would give the bird a mo-
T. conspicuous, not to say spectral, appeal
o. ance at night.
N Some years ago a party Of explores
'e entered large cave on the island
u Trinidad that had hitherto been consi'
,g cred inaccessible. To their astonishmei
a thew found it filled with birds whic
q. darted about in the dark in such nun
ID bers that they struck the explorers al
er rendered their passage not merely oil
ne agreeable, but dangerous The bir'
40 proved to be night hawks. known as
rs birds, and in great demand for the 9
"a they contain, and 1t is barely possib
that these birds are also light giver
The powder down patches of the
bird are upon each side Of the rump.
in As to the use Of such lights to bi
" there has been much conjecture, but
r. is thought that 1t may be lure to Q
c. tract fishes Thus it is we'll known tn
i'm fishes and various marine animals a
he attracted by light, and heron standil
q motionless in the water, the light fro
W. its breast, il equal to two candle
would be plainly seen for considerat
mt distance by various kinds Of fishes, W
he would undoubtedly approach within {
at reach Of the eagle eye and sharp bill
ly the heron, and 80 fall victims to the
,es curiosity. II this is true solving OF
in mystery it is one Of the most remai
10, able provisions of nature.
There is hardly group Of anim'
tn that does not include some light give
re, Of great beauty; but it is not general
,es known that some of the higher anim
", also produce light at times. Renning
,e- the naturalist, whose studies and obs
yations of Paraguay are well know
tells a most remarkable story OF his
perience with the monkey known
Nyctipithithecus trivirigatus. He v
'n- in complete darkness when he obser,
'ho the phenomenon, which was phi
air phorescent light cleaning from the e.
out Of the animal; not the light which
ide pears in the eye Of cat, but shafts
the phosphorescent light which were
ev- only distinctly visible, but illumina
the objects a distance Of six inches from
ous snimal's eyes. -Philadelphia Times.