THE INDIAN OCEAN. • 375 



emitting a bright speck of light. Sometimes this 

 was like a sudden flash, at others appearing like an 

 oblong or round luminous point, which continued 

 bright for a short time, like a lamp lit beneath the 

 water, and moving through it, still possessing its defi- 

 nite shape, and then suddenly disappearing. When 

 the bucket was sharply struck on the outside, there 

 would appear at once a great number of these lumi- 

 nous bodies, which retained their brilliant appearance 

 for a few seconds, and then all was dark again. 

 They evidently appeared to have it under their own 

 will, giving out their light frequently at various 

 depths in the water, without any agitation being 

 given to the bucket. At times might be seen mi- 

 nute but pretty bright specks of light, darting across 

 a piece of water, and then vanishing ; the motion of 

 the light being exactly that of the Cychps through 

 the water. Upon removing a tumbler-full from the 

 bucket, and taking it to the light, a number of Cy- 

 clops were accordingly found swimming and darting 

 about in it."* Dr. Baird concludes from these facts 

 that the bright globes w r ere large Sea-blubbers 

 (3fedusa) } and that the sparks were minute Entomo- 

 straccij somewhat similar in form to those figured 

 in the former part of this volume. 



In some highly interesting observations made 

 during a series of years by M. Ehrenberg, chiefly in 

 the Red Sea, we find many minute animals mentioned 

 as luminous; but it is remarkable that after many 

 trials he could not detect the slightest light from any 

 species of the Eatmnostraca. The water was found 



* Zoologist, 1843, p. 55. 



