38 LUMINOSITY OF THE SEA. 



shell animals with mufF-shaped bodies upwards of an inch in 

 length, which, when thrown down on deck, burst into a glow 

 so strong as to appear like lumps of white-hot iron. 



There are few subjects of study more interesting than 

 the luminous appearance presented by the sea under various 

 circumstances. That the sea, the great extinguisher of fire, 

 should be turned into flame — that the darkness of night 

 should be illuminated by the luminous glow which bathes 

 every ripple and breaks over every wave — that globes of 

 light should traverse the ocean, or that lightning flashes 

 should coruscate no less in the billows of the sea than in the 

 clouds of the air — are all facts which seize on the imagina- 

 tion. Nor is the interest lessened by the knowledge that 

 all these phenomena are produced by animals whose home 

 is in the great waters ; that not only do the fiery bodies of 

 large animals give out steady patches of light, but that of 

 the myriad animalculse with which the sea teems, like motes 

 in a sunbeam, each contributes its tiny scintillation, the ag- 

 gregate forming a soft and lovely radiance. 



A vivid description of a luminous sea is given by an emi- 

 nent French naturalist, as follows : 



*' It exhibited to us in all its splendor the glorious phe- 

 nomena of its phosphorescence. For more than an hour the 

 waters around us seemed to be kindled into a blaze of light, 

 as if they had borrowed some of the hidden fires of Strom- 

 boli. The waves, as they broke along the rocky shores of 

 Sicily, encircled it with a glowing band of light, while every 

 projecting cliff was circled with a wreath of fire. Our boat 

 seemed as if it were opening for itself a passage through 

 some glowing and fused liquid, while in its wake it left a 

 long track of light, each stroke of the oar brightening the 

 bosom of the waves with a broad silver gleam. The water 

 that was taken up in a bucket presented the appearance of 

 molten lead, as it was poured back into the sea. Every- 

 where over this brilliant surface of calm light, myriads of 



