Animalcular Thofphorefccnce of Ocean JVu tcr. % I 



left by. the receding tide, and were yet alive. Being incapa- 

 ble of living long out of the water, and unable to furvive until 

 the next flood, they fecmed to be under the influence of 

 their laft vital movements. They lay fo thick underfoot, that 

 at every tread many of them were crufhed to pieces. Befides 

 their fpontaneous power to become luminous, whenever they 

 were moved they emitted light; and this happened indiffer- 

 ently, whether their gelatinous bodies were agitated through 

 the medium of air, water, or the direct contact of the feet or 

 fingers. On walking among them, and thereby exciting 

 their luminous action, the beach refembled melted metal in 

 a red-hot ftate; or the phenomenon might be compared to 

 a radiant glory furrounding the feet, to the diftance of a foot 

 and a half, or more, at every tread. In feveral in (lances, the 

 light emitted by a Angle one, when taken, in its frefli and 

 vivid (late, into my hand, was fufficient to enable me to de- 

 termine the time of night by my watch, the minute and hour 

 hands being plainly to be feen : but this brightnefs was but 

 tranfient. Frequently the creature emitted not a particle of 

 light; and then, on a Hidden, the luminous appearance 

 would be confpicuous, and as quickly difappear. The fuc- 

 ceffion of thefe lucid emanations, from the creatures lying in 

 fuch numbers upon the wet fand, refembled, if fmall things 

 may be compared with great, the uniieady light of the fixed 

 ftars ; and, indeed, the twinkling of thefe phofphorefcent ani- 

 mals below, and of the celeflial bodies above, afforded a fpec- 

 tacle fo lingular and fo fplendid, that I fpent good part of the 

 evening in admiring it. I remarked, alio, that the fand on 

 which thefe animals were left by the tide was luminous; and 

 found, on crufhing them to pieces in my hand, that a faint 

 phofphorefcence was imparted both to the fand and to my 

 ikin : but in neither cafe did it laft long. 



But what was as lingular as any part of the phenomenon, 

 was the effect produced by them upon our bodies and clothes 

 while we were bathing. Whenever the water near one of 

 them was agitated, a large fire-ball feemed to burft upon the 

 view beneath the water; and whenever this happened in con-? 

 tact with one of the limbs, caufed fomc of us inftantaneoufly 

 almoft to ftart, for fear of being burned, Where any of the 

 flimy matter was left, fomewhat of a luminous appearance 

 was perceptible on our clothes, giving them and our fkins 

 fome times the appearance of phofphoric fpots, and fome times 

 the more extraordinary femblance of being painted over with 

 liquid fire. There were more than one fpecies of animal; 

 for befides thofc which, by their magnitude, were very plain 

 fubjects for examination, there were fome luminous fpots as 



B 3 fmall 



