The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-06-22
LIGHT OF THE FUTURE.
The Study of Light Producing Animal and
Vegetable Life.

Ihe study OF Light PRODUCING Animal ana
Vegetable Life.
The incandescent electric light
wastes and throws away 90 per cent
of the energy utilized, only 2 per
cent appearing in the shape of light
rays. On the other hand, the light
emitted by the freely and the glow
worm wastes but per cent. In 9th
er words, the animal light is IS
times cheaper.
In the course of recent expert
ments Dr. Raphael Dubois of Lyons
has made elaborate studies of a great
many kinds of light producing crea-
lures. There is no lack of them in
nature-in fact, thousands of spe-
cies possess this curious photogenic
power. Not few plants have it
also, and among the latter may be
mentioned certain mushrooms that
grow in Brazil and Australia. Some
of them give enough light to make
it possible to read by the aid of a
single specimen. The luminosity
frequently seen in autumn in the
forests ON dead leaves or on bits of
wood is due to fungi. The yellow
flowers of the nasturtium emit q
small amount of light. But in the
animal kingdom the torchbearers
assume an immense variety of
forms, from the minute organisms
that are responsible for much of the
ocean S phosphorescence to the deep
sea fishes that carry lamps of their
own and form endless torchlight
professions through the otherwise
black and gloomy marine abysses.
Many jellyfishes are luminous,
and so are some of the starfishes. A |
few earthworms are light givers,
and numerous crustaceans have a
luminosity of their own One kind
of shrimp has brilliant circle sur
rounding the eye, which is actually
in luminous socket. A European
species of thousand legs emits
light in autumn. But no animals
are better light givers than certain
and even the eggs of some
of these are luminous. From gen
Grafton to generation the light bear
ing creatures transmit the torch that
is never extinguished and which
seems to have been lighted at the
very dawn of creation, AS for in
;ects, very minute species, found
n parts of Europe, sometimes makes
he surface of the ground luminous
over considerable areas, congregat-
ng in inconceiyable numbers.
The eggs of the glowworm are
and it is the same way
With the FREELY of tropical America
The larva OF the FREELY carries with
t at birth the torch transmitted to
he egg by its ancestors. Indeed it
las several lights, one on each seq
nent of its body. These luminous
pots may be lighted and extinguish-
d successfully, like the gas burners
# stairway swept by the wind,
nd it it is very curious spectacle
0 see two of the larvse struggling
ogether and twisting about while .
mitting flashes of light. Imagine
That the effect would be if the com
atants were as large as pythonsl
n the adult state the freely has
hree lanterns-two on the back and
ne on the belly. When the belly
which is the brightest of
be three, has been carefully sepa-
ated from the body, dried and pull
erized, it still gives out light when
drop of water is let fall upon the
owder. This is only one of many
experiments made by
II. Dubois. He has succeeded in
laking photographs by the firefy 4
ght, using very sensitive plates. - !
enc Bache in Boston Transcript.