210 Scientific Intelligence. 
with my arm. ‘This occurred several times afterwards, and | began 
to think I perceived a sensation of warmth whenever I struck one of 
these bodies, though aware how liable I was to be deceived by the 
almost irresistable association of light and heat inthe mind. A very 
large one ultimately convinced me I was not deceived ; the sensa- 
tion being on this occasion perfectly distinct—grateful—and continu- 
ing for a minute or two after the touch. 
“The masses of marine ovula, left by the tide to heat and hatch 
on the beach, I had long before observed through the whole process 
of vivification. First, a transparent mass of jelly—next marked by 
a white opake speck, a little distant from the centre—third, this spot 
fringed with a red border, of the color of arterial blood ; next, a kind 
of irregular pulsation, accompanied by the developement of certain 
white contractile fibres, and the extension of several large red lines, 
in radial directions from the focal opake speck—the appearance of a 
black speck, ultimately a defined head—and finally, I have seen the 
rising tide shake out from the mass, the perfect animal, apparently 
in the full possession of life ; certainly exercising the important func- 
tion of apprehension of danger. 
The identity of this ovulum, with the luminous bodies I encoun- 
in the water, appeared probable, from their size, consistency, 
and abounding in the same regions. It was soon after ascertained : 
for on a night when the sea was somewhat agitated, I observed the . 
same Corruscations in the waves breaking on the beach, and succeed- 
ed in obtaining several of the illuminating bodies, by the light of their 
own flashes. They appeared, as I expected, identical. 
When examined by candle-light, to overcome the glare of their 
brilliancy, and at the same time obserye their action more clearly, 
the power of illumination appeared to reside in a similar focal point, 
to that described as the place of the first phenomena of vivification 5 
and the flashes which could be procured by irritating the mass with 
the end of a pencil, diverged from this point in lines similar in mag- 
tude and direction, to the large red ones, mentioned in that process. 
egret, that it did net oceur to me, to insulate one of these bodies elec- 
rically, and endeavor to obtain shocks; but I was too much occupied 
vith the question above stated, to avail myself of the means in my 
ands, of making some interesting experiments on the theory of life- 
es “The existence of those large corruscating bodies in the ocean, has 
been before recorded, and there is, I believe, a paper on this subject, 
— y Dr. Mitchill, published ten or twelve years ago ; but it is thought 
some parts of the observations are not on record, and they are now 
te ee 
