Murray's Researches in Natural History, 157 



importance to mariners. On this pointy his concluding para- 

 graph deserves republication : " We dare scarcely speculate, 

 touching the design of this singular distinction. This much 

 we know, that Almighty Goodness has made nothing super- 

 fluous or in vain. The visitation of luminous animals seems 

 connected with meteorological phenomena ; and it would be 

 interesting to ascertain, from different parts of the coast of 

 Great Britaiti, what kind of luminous animals generally con-* 

 tribute to the effect." 



On the Phenomenon of the Chameleon, — This reptile^is an 

 inhabitant of intertropical climates ; it belongs to the lizard 

 family, and is particularly remarkable for the varying colours 

 of its skin. Our author's experience of the nature of this 

 animal has been directed to ascertain the cause of these 

 changes, which, he says, " are depicted in such varying 

 shades, that the magic of the necromancer's rod takes not the 

 sense of vision more completely captive than do these ephe- 

 meral and sportive hues." 



His convictions on this wonderful property are, that the 

 changes are caused by the circulation of the blood of the rep- 

 tile, and that increased temperature, either of the ambient air 

 or of its own body, produces all the variations of the skin. 

 And, as the passions of the human mind change the colour of 

 the skin as well as the form of the features, and according to 

 the rapidity of the flow of blood, so Mr. Murray thinks that 

 the feelings of the chameleon may also, in some measure, pro- 

 duce analogous changes in the reflecting surface of the skin. 



On the Ascent of the Spider into the Atmosphere, — Gossamer 

 has been long noticed by both poets and naturalists. About 

 the beginning of the last century, it was supposed to be con- 

 densed vapour. Geoffroy gave it as his opinion, that it was a 

 web spun by the ^^carus (tick) telarius {tela, a web), on the 

 north side of trees ; and being from thence dispersed by the 

 wind, covers the fields with those innumerable threads ! It is 

 now known to be produced by many different kinds of spiders, 

 particularly the flying spiders. Our author has paid particu- 

 lar attention to the economy of these insects, and assures us 

 that they have actually the power of projecting their threads 

 to a considerable distance, and by such means transporting 

 themselves from the ground to any elevation, or from the 

 top of one elevation to another. But what is still more asto- 

 nishing, he conceives that these threads are electric, or so 

 actuated by that subtle element, that buoyancy is imparted, 

 and the baseless shrouds of the aerial traveller are, with itself, 

 projected aloft into the highest regions of the air ! 



