SUPERIOR ANIMALS. 165 



was pale as the moon, but quite evident to mamma, 

 myself, and sisters, who were watching over her 

 at the time. One of us, at first, thought that it 

 was lightning, till shortly afterwards we fancied 

 we perceived a sort of tremulous glimmer playing 

 around the head of the bed ; and then, recollect- 

 ing that we had read something of a similar 

 nature having been observed previous to disso- 

 lution, we had candles brought into the room, 

 fearing our dear sister would perceive it, and 

 that it might disturb the tranquillity of her last 

 moments." 



We are told of a similar luminous apparition 

 around the person, and in the room, of a man 

 who had been lying ill of a lingering disease, of 

 which he afterwards died, in the south-west of 

 Ireland. 



In 1840, Donovan published, in the ' Dublin 

 Medical Press/ a very curious case of phospho- 

 rescence upon the living body of a man. " I was 

 sent for," he says, " to see Harrington, in Decem- 

 ber, 1828. He had been under the care of my 

 predecessor, and had been entered in the dispen- 

 sary book as a phthisical patient ; and on referring 

 to my note-book, I find that the stethoscopic 

 and other indications of phthisis were indubit- 

 able. He was under my care for about five years, 

 during which time the symptoms continued sta- 

 tionary, and I had discontinued my attendance 



