LIVING LAMPS 219 



ing in size and color as well as in duration. Sometimes the 

 number of these little sparks may be so very great that the 

 water as it runs off from the lifted oars looks like molten silver 

 and the courses of the fishes swimming down below are plainly 

 evident. The most wonderful exhibition that I ever saw was 

 at Gloucester, Massachusetts, early in September. 



On the bottom of the deep sea thousands of feet below the 

 surface where it is always darker than the darkest night almost 

 every kind of creature gives out a brilliant light, and the con- 

 tents of a dredge haul from these depths presents a truly won- 

 derful appearance. And over the abysses, too, not too far out 

 to sea yet away from the shallow waters of the coasts you find 

 numerous large and brilliant shining things not found near the 

 shore. 



Let us begin our consideration of light-producing animals 

 with an account of the so-called luminous birds. 



In the oriental countries and in southeastern Europe the 

 phoenix, under various names, has always held an important 

 place in song and story. There are many variations in the 

 accounts of the phoenix. A tj^^ical account is that the phoenix, 

 on growing old, built a funeral pyre for itself, kindled it by the 

 fanning of its wings, and was consumed upon it, from the ashes 

 coming forth again in all its youthful glory. But in some places 

 the phoenix was supposed to be a bird which, flashing fire from 

 its plumage, lived wholly in the air; it could not rest upon the 

 ground or in the trees since it had no legs. 



From the numerous pictures and descriptions it is clear that 

 the phoenix was usually the Indian peacock more or less 

 altered in appearance by the addition of features taken from 

 various pheasants and the paradise birds, and frequently 

 conventionalized. Sometimes the phoenix as portrayed was 

 almost wholly peacock; again, it was almost wholly pheasant, 

 or a mixture of various pheasants; occasionally it was shown 

 as without legs which indicates an origin in the paradise birds 

 from which in early times the legs were always cut away in 

 skinning. The fire from which the phoenLx rose was the 



