762 Betrospective Criticism. 



true east and west being, towards the north 24-°, and to the 

 south 21°. — (5. Woodward, Norwich, March 1. 1832. 



Luminous Appearance on the Ears of a Horse, (p. ill. 400.) 

 — I feel thankful to your correspondents for the notice they 

 have taken of my communication on this head, though 1 be- 

 lieve I may say (without a pun prepense), that they have left 

 the subject as dark as they found it. J. S. H. indeed charges 

 the iScoIopendra electrica with the incendiarism ; but, with all 

 deference to an authority, which, if I can spell aright, is of first- 

 rate respectability, I fear he has missed his mark ; and for this 

 reason, I hardly think it possible for the insect to have crawled 

 on the parts where I observed the track of phosphoric fire 

 {noijiame, as stated by W. L.), namely, the outer edges and 

 tips of the horse's ears, even had the weather been fine and 

 calm ; but not Tam o' Shanter himself turned out in a worse 

 night — 



* The wind blew as 'twad blawn its last ; 

 The rattling showers rose on the blast :" — 



in short. Sir, no insect could have stood it. Besides, we learn 

 at p. 368. that " it is seldom roused during the night." 

 Strange, too, that if it were this insect, I should not have 

 noticed it till after I had ridden full eight miles in the wind 

 and rain. I remember more than once the occurrence of a 

 somewhat similar appearance in Lancashire. On the road- 

 side, between Liverpool and Allerton, I observed a consider- 

 able body, not a mere track, of this phosphorescent appearance. 

 If it had been a speck here and there, 1 should have supposed 

 them to be glowworms, and passed on ; but such a conglo- 

 meration of light could not, I knew, proceed from this cause. 

 What, then, could it be ? I dismounted from my horse, and, 

 after groping about for some time (it was very dark, and very 

 wet to boot), I succeeded in capturing all the light troops, in 

 the shape of — would you believe it? — two or three lumps of 

 old touchwood ! On I rode with my prize, and safely alighting 

 at my then domicile, the old hall, Allerton, (the recollection of 

 that hall how sacred to me, and to many a one besides me !) 

 I deposited it safely in a dark parlour, and instantly mustered 

 the family to see what they imagined were glowworms ; nor, 

 delighted as they were thus to behold them, could some of my 

 young friends refrain from hinting a gentle reproach at the 

 inhumanity of bearing the poor things away from their natural 

 habitat. The light of a candle, however, soon banished their 

 fears, though it added no little to their surprise, after the 

 closest examination, to discover nothing more than a bit or two 

 of old, wet, decayed wood. It was perfectly unaccountable to 

 them, and, I own, not less so to me ; nor did the similar phe- 



