UNCLE IN ENGLA.ND. 283 



these brilliant animals diffused a sphere of light 

 of eighteen inches in diameter ; "Think then," 

 said he to my uncle, u what the effect must be 

 on the spectator, when the sea is absolutely full 

 of them as far as the eye can reach, and to many 

 yards in depth. One evening, in particular, 

 from seven to eleven o'clock, the ship sailed up- 

 wards of twenty miles through these living lamps ; 

 and the strong light they gave enabled him to 

 distinguish many fishes, even ten or twelve feet 

 beneath the surface of the water, that appeared 

 to be accompanying the ship." 



My uncle then gave us a very entertaining 

 account of an experiment he witnessed on the 

 common house-spider, which proves that it pos- 

 sesses a natural diving-bell, to assist it in crossing 

 water. The spider was placed on a small plat- 

 form in the middle of a large tumbler full of 

 water, the platform being about half an inch 

 above the edge of the glass, and two inches 

 above the water. It first descended by the 

 stick that supported the platform, till it reached 

 the water, but finding no way to escape, it re- 

 turned to the platform, and for some time em- 

 ployed itself in preparing a web, with which, by 

 means of its hinder legs, it loosely enveloped its 

 body and head. It again descended, and with- 

 out hesitation plunged into the water, when my 

 uncle observed, that the web with which it was 

 covered contained a bubble of air, probably in- 



