426 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



one is used to observing under Oaks and Beeches in England. 

 Possibly, where the leaf-mould is very thin, bioluminescence is 

 absent ; but, before concluding that luminous leaves do not occur 

 in the woods around Winnipeg, one ought to investigate the rotting 

 leaves of the Oak at successive intervals of time throughout the 

 summer. 



Notwithstanding the negative observations just recorded, it 

 seemed highly probable that luminous leaves occur in Canadian 

 woods in the same manner as in woods in the United States. I 

 therefore made some further enquiries, and these have yielded 

 positive results. It appears that, in eastern Canada, luminous 

 leaves have been observed from time to time, quite casually, by 

 persons camping out during their summer hoHdays. Among these 

 campers are : A. D. Temple, a student at the University of Mani- 

 toba, and Dean E. M. Freeman of the University of Minnesota. 



Mr. Temple, who had never previously heard of luminous leaves, 

 discovered them for himself. He makes the following statement : 

 " While walking in the woods at De Grassi Point, Lake Simcoe, 

 Ontario, one night toward the end of August, 1922, I noticed some 

 leaves which api^eared to be glowing. I picked one up, and could 

 distinctly see the outhne of the leaf, although it was a very dark 

 night." 



Dean Freeman ^ thus recounts his experience : " While on a 

 canoe trip through the Ontario Quetico Provincial Forest, we 

 camped on the north shore of one of the arms of Sturgeon Lake in 

 a grove of poplars and birches. In the evening one of the party 

 casually disturbed some of the leaves in a fairly thick bed of dead 

 leaves on the floor and noticed a very pronounced luminescence. 

 He called the matter to the attention of the party and, upon further 

 search, it was found that the luminescence was very wide-spread 

 throughout the locaUty where our camp was pitched. The glow of 

 the leaves could be observed at some distance and was a beautiful 

 phenomenon." 



On the basis of personal observation and enquiry as recorded 

 above, I am now able to affirm that luminous leaves, in addition 

 to occurring in France, Germany, and Java as reported by 



1 Inlitt. 



