SHIZOPOD/E. 49 



Philosophers have naturally been anxious to discover 

 the object of this curious property in animals, which is so 

 little obvious, that they have not hitherto been able to 

 brins^ forward any explanation which applies to more than 

 a limited number of cases j thus in luminous Insects, which 

 are all of them crepuscular or nocturnal, it has been 

 supposed to serve the purpose of bringing the sexes toge- 

 ther, which is extremely probable ; but when we investigate 

 this property as it occurs in marine animals, this is evidently 

 not the true solution, as the major part of them have the 

 sexes united, are destitute of visual organs, and shine equally 

 in their young or larva state . From the vast number and 

 variety of these last, and from observing all such to be 

 more or less translucent, added to the circumstance that 

 the luminosity seems to be in every case intimately connec- 

 ted with their irritability, and is apparently under the 

 controul of the individual, we should be tempted to consi- 

 der it as an evidence of volition, or the transmission of the 

 nervous influence in a condensed form, to some of the organs 

 of the animal requiring an encreased energy to counteract 

 the unusual external force which operates upon them for 

 the moment, for it may be remarked, that it is in general 

 the contact of other bodies, or the concussion of the waves 

 which calls the luminous property forth ; we must give up 

 this explanation however, when aware, that numerous 

 translucent marine animals do not shew any luminosity, 

 and that it is not found but in particular species of the 

 same Genus. Meditating upon this subject, I think it not 

 improbable, that the Deity, who has done nothing in vain 

 and whose Omniscience extends to every epoch, foreseeing 

 that man would invent the means of tempting the trackless 

 ocean, and explore the most distant regions of our Planet 

 has given it as one means of renderinghis nights less gloomy, 

 and of diminishing the number of his dangers ; especially if 

 we consider, that this luminosity is seen only in the night 

 season, is vivid in proportion to the darkness, disappearing 



