ELISIIA MITCHELI^ SCIENTIFIC SUCIETY. 91 



writhing in pain. "I will trv him," I thought. I took it into 

 the dark room. It showed no sign of phosphorescence, I rolled 

 it once across mv hand. The 2)Ji(nitom became real. Not oidy 

 was the whole body of the earth-worm luminous, but the entire 

 palm of my hand was aglow with phosphorescence. I niade 

 several trips to the place and secured other worms which 

 exhibited the same peculiarity. 



Probably the Myi'iapod which I saw had pounced upon one 

 of these worms for a meal. It became phosphorescent, which 

 may have frightene<l the Myria})()d, and it ran, dragging its prey, 

 and the worm's body touching the ground illuminated it, thus 

 attra(;tino: mv attention. When the earth is disturbed, the fric- 

 tion of the body against tlic particles gives phosphoresence to 

 them. The earth-worm is probal)Iy a species of I^umbricedse. 



Professor Forbes, of Champaign, 111., has kindly sent me an 

 extract from '^System und MorpJiologie der OUcjochaeten ; von 

 Dr. Franz Vejdovsky, p. 67, 1884,""^ from which I make the 

 following abbreviated translation: 



It appears probable that this remarkable phenomenon lies in 

 a substance secreted by glands of the skin. The phosphorescence 

 of earth-worms has been repeatedly observed. The first publica- 

 tion thereupon was by Grimm in 1670; and later by Flaugergues 

 in Liclitenberg's Magazine (1781 ).t In the present century Cohn 

 published some observations. J; A. Delia Valle, Panceri, Siechi 

 and Phipson have each undertaken researches upon this subject. 

 Panceri§ declares that the phosphorescence of earth-worms lies 

 in single glands u])on the surface of the body, and that the eleva- 

 tion of the temperature pioduces the phosphorescent light. 

 Siecthiy found by spectroscopic analysis that the phosphorescent 

 light is not monochromatic, but is made up of red and violet 

 rays. Phipson^ traced the production of the light in animals 

 to a homogeneous substance (uoctilucln) which seems to possess 

 the power of oxidation when in contact with damp aii'. 



*Ueber die Phosphoresceuz der Regenvviirnier. 



tUber das phosphorische Licbt dt-r Erdwiirmer. 



JUeber die Pbospboresceuz der Regenvviirmer, z. f, vs. z. 1873, p. 459 — 461. 



^Etudes sur la pbosph. des animaux marius, Aun. Sc. Nat. 1872. T. XVI 



\lbid. 



llCompte Reudues, 1872. p. 548 



