﻿28 
  Dr. 
  D. 
  Sharp 
  on 
  

  

  kum, 
  observed 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  weather 
  carefully, 
  with 
  reference 
  

   to 
  the 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  intensity 
  of 
  the 
  luminosity 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  

   and 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  only 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  the 
  strength 
  

   of 
  the 
  waves 
  exert 
  any 
  appreciable 
  influence 
  upon 
  the 
  mani- 
  

   festation 
  of 
  that 
  beautiful 
  phenomenon. 
  In 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  

   phenomenon 
  should 
  present 
  itself 
  in 
  all 
  its 
  splendour 
  the 
  wind 
  

   must 
  have 
  set 
  persistently 
  for 
  some 
  days 
  from 
  the 
  open 
  sea 
  

   on 
  to 
  the 
  shore. 
  If 
  this 
  condition 
  coincides 
  with 
  a 
  moderate 
  

   motion 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  the 
  visitor 
  to 
  our 
  North-Sea 
  

   coast, 
  who 
  very 
  often 
  walks 
  in 
  vain 
  upon 
  the 
  strand 
  in 
  the 
  

   evening, 
  may 
  reckon 
  with 
  certainty 
  upon 
  the 
  wished-for 
  

   pleasure. 
  In 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  sea-wind 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   Noctilucce 
  collect 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  coast, 
  while 
  

   the 
  animals 
  are 
  carried 
  away 
  from 
  it 
  by 
  a 
  land-wind. 
  That 
  

   a 
  strong 
  breaking 
  of 
  the 
  waves 
  does 
  not 
  allow 
  the 
  spectacle 
  

   to 
  attain 
  its 
  full 
  beauty, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  greater 
  irrita- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  subjected, 
  is 
  easily 
  explained 
  

   by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  Noctilucce 
  are 
  drawn 
  down 
  

   too 
  far 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  seeing 
  that 
  every 
  

   particle 
  of 
  a 
  wave 
  describes 
  a 
  curve 
  and 
  descends 
  the 
  deeper 
  

   in 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  wave. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  

   nothing 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  widely 
  diffused 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  pheno- 
  

   menon 
  is 
  manifested 
  especially 
  in 
  close 
  sultry 
  nights. 
  On 
  

   several 
  evenings 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Borkum 
  was 
  surrounded 
  on 
  all 
  

   sides 
  by 
  thunderstorms, 
  but 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  luminosity 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  

   seen 
  in 
  the 
  sea, 
  because 
  a 
  land-wind 
  had 
  prevailed 
  for 
  some 
  

   time. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  a 
  high 
  electrical 
  tension 
  of 
  the 
  

   atmosphere 
  coinciding 
  with 
  a 
  sea-wind 
  gave 
  rise 
  to 
  no 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  intensity 
  of 
  the 
  phenomenon. 
  This 
  opinion 
  has 
  

   consequently 
  found 
  acceptance 
  only 
  because 
  on 
  thundery 
  

   evenings 
  the 
  sea 
  is 
  usually 
  quiet, 
  and 
  thus 
  favours 
  the 
  mani- 
  

   festation 
  of 
  the 
  luminosity. 
  

  

  IV. 
  — 
  The 
  Staphylinidas 
  of 
  Japan. 
  

   By 
  Dr. 
  D. 
  Sharp. 
  

  

  [Continued 
  from 
  vol. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  464.] 
  

  

  Subfam. 
  Staphylininm. 
  

   Group 
  Quediina. 
  

  

  Algon 
  grandicollis. 
  

   Algon 
  grandicollis, 
  Sharp, 
  Trans. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  Loud. 
  1874, 
  p. 
  23. 
  

   Miyanoshita, 
  in 
  May; 
  Awomori 
  and 
  Hakodate, 
  in 
  Sep- 
  

   tember 
  and 
  October. 
  

  

  