22 



frequent contributor about that time to the " Annals of Natural 

 History"). He refers to the article, "which ought to be refuted, 

 as it tries to explain the phenomenon of the Innis Fatiius by the 

 phosphorescence of insects." He says, "I have observed the meteor 

 (!) too well myself to give the least credit to any attempt of ascrib- 

 ing such effects to such causes ; not to mention that the seasons at 

 which the It/nes Fatni are commonly observed (November) is one at 

 which scarcely any insect is able to stir." He considers that " the 

 insulated observation of a farmer of Simpringham cannot, I think, 

 militate against the negative testimony of the many who, like 

 myself, have kept that animal (the mole cricket) in confinement 

 during long periods without observing it in the least phosphores- 

 cent." He then gives his own experience. "In the year 1818 

 I was fortunate enough to get a fine view of the Ic^nis Fatuiis 

 operating on an extensive scale. I was then in Schnepfenthal, 

 in the Duchy of Gotha, and in a clear November night, 

 between eleven and twelve o'clock, when I had just undressed, 

 the bright light allured me to the window to survey the expanse of 



boggy meadows that stretched away from the house 



As soon as I had posted myself at the window I perceived a number 

 of reddish-yellow flames in different parts of the expanse of almost 

 level ground. I descried perhaps no more than six at a time ; but 

 dying away, and appearing in other places so rapidly, that it was 

 impossible to count them. Some were small, or burned dimly ; 

 others flashed with a bright flame, in a direction almost parallel 

 with the ground, and coinciding with that of the wind, which was 

 rather brisk .... When I reached the meadow (in order to 

 examine the phenomenon in its laboratory) the atmospheric condi- 

 tions which gave rise to the hjnes Fatiii had ceased to exist. From 

 what I saw I must judge that the Ignes Fatni are owing to the 

 causes given by Volta, ciz., that the phosphoric hydrogen exhaled by 

 certain swamps is kindled by coming into contact with the atmos- 

 pheric air, but that there is a certain electrical tension of the 

 atmosphere necessary to cause the combustion .... In calm 

 nights the flames may play in a vertical direction, so as to imitate 

 the motions of gnats, and they may even appear to alight on some 

 object, though when this has been observed it is more probable that 

 the case has been one of St. Elm's fire." 



It is very evident that the Innea Fatni here observed belong to a 

 totally different category from those hitherto attributed to insect 

 origin, though our worthy German evidently considers that it is the 



