Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-02-23

latter has two luminous spots, accord.
ing to Panceri, situated over the pO-
sftion of the ganglia of the nervous
system" At times the Pyrosoma does
not show light, but if it is disturbed
or injured, the light will start at the
point of impact. and spread with won
derful rapidity from point to point un-
til the entire mass is ablaZe with light.
II is well known that some of the
most remarkable light-givers are crabs,
and of all the crustaceans the one
shown in an accompanying photo.
graph is perhaps among the most in
teresting. The writer kept several
from the Atlantic and the Gulf of
Mexico, and had never noticed their
phosphOrescence. A large and beau
tiful specimen was dredged off Avalon
Bay, California, and placed in a tank,
that its beauties of color-red, blue.
purple and green-might be observed.
1t happened that in looking at the
tank one night the squilla was seen
to be surrounded by peculiar light.
which examination showed came from
the ventral fillets, or some part of
them, sufficient to make the strange
crustacean stand out in lines of gold.
The animal, at least in Pacific wa
tiers, is deep-water form, and one of
the most attractive of all marine ami
mails in it's marvellous colOring. 1t is
very active, having a wonderful swim.
ming apparatus, darting about with
great velocity.
In the waters, twenty miles off San
Pedro, may be seen the Salpa, Won
dsrful light giver. Chains of them
ten or even twenty feet long have
been placed in tanks, and their light
witnessed at night. Of all the lum-
nous animals, these are among the
most wonderful. The light is confined
to the so-called nucleus of the animal,
and bodies of water twenty miles
square have been seen glowing with
light and color from them. In some,
the light is silvery, in others, red or
blue while some refuse to respond.
The writer has seen the Santa Cata-
Ina channel, which is from Is to 20
miles wide and practically As miles
long. off Los Angeles county, so filled
with these radiant creatures that as
far as the eye could see they were
the fraction of an inch above the sur
face and cleaning like gems in the
sunlight. They constitute the food of
the whalebone whales, and many of the
large animals were seen at this time
revelng every day in the delicacy.
Interesting light givers the low
Heteropods-the dazzling white, seem
ingly shapeless forms shown in the
accompanying photographs. They
float slowly in the water, and are COM
mon in Avalon Bay in summer, and
are often seen floating in the clear
blue water. 1t is difficult to locate
| the seat of the light in them. Those
observed by the writer when irritat-
ed, gave out light seemingly over
the entire surface. but Giglioli refers
to one in which the light was red and
confined to the axis of the body. They
are lowly but interesting creatures.
with transparent bodies, a sucker-like
organ by which they can cling to the
weed. and a long powerful tail or
swimming organ. Some of these
forms have minute shells; others are
shell-less. The Phyllirhoe, a free.
swimming, sluglike mOllusk, common
here, is brilliant light giver: dan
gcrOus possession, it would seem, as
it is a signal that cannot fail to at.
tract the attention of marauding fish.
es. The sight of these waters at night
is at times awe inspiring. One glances
down into the depths, and sees myr-
lads of forms passing and repassing
all blazing with this mysterious light
Charles Frederick Holder in Scienti
fic American.