The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-02
FISH With MANY HUED LIGHTS.
ODD CREATURES THAT ILLU-
INNATE THE SEA.
striking Effects Produced al VIII by
% -One q PhOsphOrescCnt shark
-JrIly1Sh AMI Other C~rustaceans
That Arc Light Bearers-Sea Fans.

Some years ago" remarked the retirel
natural history Collector, Il made for a
customer a collection Of phpsphorescent
marine creature.
"thc gem of The collection was un,loubt-
ely n FISH known - science At 0~postomias
micriDnns. The luminous organs are
soattcrei very abundantly on the sides and
back OF the otherwise dark colored fish,
and apr ear a. small white spots with a
pigmcnt coat.
They are not uniformly scattered, but
apr ear in grouys Ct from fifty to one
hundred. and these groups take the shape
Of transverse bands. As the fish can
incite these organs to luminosity either
singly or altogether, and Wy means Of the
Iigment coat concentrate the light of each
in one direction. the beautiful sight is
sometimes seen Of what apl ears like clouds
Of light I assinC Owe, the black body OF the
fish.
-One Of the most striking fishes in the
collection was o small shark. The entire
inferior surface Of the body ard head
emitted n vivid ard g~reenish rhosphorescent
CLEAN. imr urtinS to the creature by its
" light atsuIy ghastly and terrific appear
ance.
u captures a light bearer in the MediteT-
ranean which not only pleased On this
account hut alsD because Of its curious
share. 1t wa deep in the body, but
tar erred of suddenly TO the tail a. IL a riece
had been bitten ont by some large fish.
F"The luminous organs were grouped
-four being mt the side of the tail, six
midway between it and the line OF the
dorsal fin and many others around the
edge Of the ventral surface, iO3 in all and
when working tine fish Presented a most
brilliant apr earance
There arc a number Of other phos-
phorescen: fishes, but IA they are mostly
deep sea forms | was unable to secure other
than dead 81 %ccinens, and Of course these
were useless - far IA the luminosity was
cnncerncd. OF these SooL elus benoti is
probably the best known.
TIt's lights living organ is in the middle
OF its back and points backward, looking,
when in active operation, very much like
searchlight. Mslacosteus niger has
beneath the eyes two luminous disks, one
OF which emits a golden and the other q
greenish light; Stomias boa has the side Of
its body covered with light-giving disks
which cause the fish to be surrounded with
q brilliant a~ureolH, while in HalOsaurus is
10 be found a gemmeous band along its
sides, making it a conspicuous and beauti-
fIi object in the water.
Light bearers are not among
the invertebrates. II one wanders along
the northwestern coast Of North America
during the winter evenings he will oc-
casionally see a wonderful sight.
AS the darkness comes on the beach
geems TO be ablaze, flashes of light splrsh
about everywhere, tinted with an intense
blue hue, very much resembling the APP
pearanca Of mo't1l install "a il is poured
from thu blast f~Ifll,'. This light Is pro-
duced by an eyt'lmhy small crustacean
which schools in reml rkabie numbers.
An extremely beautiful phosphorescent
crustacean is Sapphirins. IL is about a
quarter Of an inch in length, broad and fat.
So vivid is the phcsphorescenOe that IL can
be distinctly seen By ,ay; and peering down