CHAPTER Ti: 
PHOSPHORESCENCE OF THE EARTHWORM. 
In the year 1840 M. Forester wrote to the Aca- 
demy of Sciences at Paris, stating that during a 
dark rainy night he had seen a great number of 
Lumbrics, or earthworms, shining with a white 
phosphoric light, which he compared to that of 
iron heated to a white heat. 
When this letter was communicated to the Aca- 
demy, the distinguished naturalist M. Audouin 
rose and said, that to his knowledge no authen- 
tic case of phosphorescence in earthworms had 
ever been made known, but that he could cite 
numerous cases where these worms had been mis- 
taken for Scolopendra, some species of which are 
known to be phosphorescent. 
Upon this occasion M. Duméril, lately one of 
the greatest ornaments of the present Institute 
of France, said that he happened to know of two 
very authentic observations, emanating from two 
eminent naturalists, concerning the emission of 
