The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-02

kind which are very much larger than
those familiar in the United States.
. "The drefy light" said DR.. Dubois,
Fought to serve as type for the art'-
fetal light of the future" He believes
that he has opened IA new and pronls-
the infariority of the illuminating ap-
naratus now in use to the means en-
pIoved hx nature" For one of bis ex-
neYiments he took the luminous matter
furnishpd by common species OF mol
lnsk called Pholas, which lives in holes
in rooks He chose this animal because
il Yields photogenio matter very aDun-
dainty In the form OF a liquid tnau re-
mains luminous even after being filtered.
He fouod that this matter continued to
shine for a long time after the creature
producing it was dead.
Another thing he did was to take out
tho la ms of firef1ies and dry them In
an oven. afterwards placing them IN
mixture of alconOl and ether. Thus
treated. the luminous orcaus could be
reIjabted after very long time by SIM
ply touching them WITH water. E1Gie 4.,S
cold did not destroy their properties; the
LIGHT which disappeared on freezing re-
appesred with unabated intensity after
a higher temperature was restored.
Eventually, however. the living proto-
plasmio matter that produces the light IS
altered into a crystalline substance and
ceases TO be luminous. 1t Is then only
that it may be said properly to be dead.
The Intimate association of the lum1-
noIIs property with vitality has been re-
earded hitherto as an insuperable bar to
the imitation of light for practical pur-
poses of illumination for mans benef1t.
Nevertheless, DIR. DUBOIS believes that
the INQUIRY is likely to lead to important
and useful discovery from an industrial
point of view.
yhe oolors of ths lights produced by
various animals differ considerably: Inc
luminosity of one species of mushroom
is blush; that of another species is dull
green, while that OF third is white.
The same remark applies to animals,
and among these the same individual
sometimes changes its light color from
one moment to another. Some sea-psns
from tbs sea bottom shine with pale
lilac glow; others give out light of
emerald green. The light of the glow
worm is BLUSH Occasionallv the save
individual animal gives light # diffe en-
tolors, certain insect larvae have a red
light near the head and blush lights
along the BODY. he egg and the young
larvae of the tropical FREELY emit pale
blue rays, while those produced by the
adult are light greeL. lit Is even more
remarkable to see in the same creature
all me cOlDrS I'll tut CdlnUOW huOSuCu CALL
other rapidly and without interruption.
From all points of the stems and
branches of certain polyps light may tie
observed to gush forth in jets and sprays
of fire, hose lustre dies away, then re-
wives. passing from violet to purple, from
red to orange, from blush to different
tints of green. BY injecting the chemical
compound called "eosin'' into thu blood
of firetiiaa, DR.. Dubois has changed their
usual gresn color to rose.
Among mollusks, there are fow raj
cuttleiish which are luminous. Lumin-
osity has been observed in several kinds
| of sea snaii and whelks. Notable among
these is the Pholas already mentioned !.
This animal is provided with siphon
drawing in and rejecting the Water that
| brings it's foud. In the tube OF this 81 2hon
is formed an abundant SECRETION Of "a
highly luminous muous, which, when
| poured out into the water imparts TO the
latter d persistent luminosity. vat
| sheals of Jelly fishes have been seen t.
| form streaks of light many leagues IN
| length in the Pacific Ocean.
There are many light-giEing species OF
bacteria. Some OF these live In the sen,
either free or on the surface Of hshes ana
other animals. Usually, however, they
| do not become luminous unrl aft,r tue
death of the animal on which they live
| a nd after being out of the water for some
time. This fact will account for tn g
| strange luminosity of dead fiah, az some
| times observed. Fishes which exhibit the
| phenomena are often thrown away with
the notion that they have Lecome tit to
| ut in truth, however, the symp en-
| should be accented In Il sense exactly 4.
posite, inasmucn as the luminosity 10 sure
| to disappear as soon as putfefactlon has
| begun. Certain species of these photo
| eenic bacteria caus5 diseas5 in crustat cans
attacked by them. The animal which De-
Gomez their victim becomes luminous ana
soon dies. Attsnp pts rave been made, for
scientific purposes, to inocuIete h1eher an
imais with the same kinds OF bacteria
hut no effect was produced. SUill, 1t Is
deemed quite probable that cases OF phos-
phorescent urine, saliva, sweat anu even
wounds, observed principally in man,
| have no other cause. 1t goes without
saying that this is an important matter
| to settle Phosphorescsnce Of human
corrses has been observed several times,
End there have OCCUR Ell in butchers
stalls luminous epidemics affecting some
times pork, sonnet ines beef and sometimes
horse meat. A similar case of luln1nos-
| ity in rabbits has been studied by Dr.
Dubois, who obtained from long cared
victims a pure Couture" of the bacteri
urn that caused the mischief This emil
nant authority is of the opinion that
| POSSIBLY all animals, ard even MAJ, are
| moro or less lam inous, their Bodies pro-
ducins light, actually; but Instruments
of sufficient delicacy for determining the
| fact, II it is such, have not been In
PEAlE RACINE