116 ANIMAL AND VLGETAiJLE IHOSPHORI. 



the sea will be luminous, when another part, not far from it, will 

 not be so ; concludes with saying, that he could not help suspecting 

 that these odd phaenoirena, belonging to gre.it masses of watt r, 

 were in some measure owing to some cosmic al law or custom of 

 the terrestrial globe, or at least of the planetary vortex. 



Some curious observations on the shining of some fishes, and the 

 pickle in which in they were immersed, were made by Dr. Bea), in 

 Nay 1665, and, had they been properly attended to and pursued, 

 might have led to the discovery of the cause of this appearance. 

 Having put some boiled mackarel into water, together with salt and 

 sweet herbs; when the cook was some time after stirring it, in or. 

 der to take out some of the fishes, she observed, that, at the first 

 motion, the water was very luminous ; and that the fish shining 

 through the water added much to the light which the water yielded. 

 The water was of itself thick and blackish, rather than of any 

 other colour ; and yet it shined on being stirred, and at the same 

 time the fishes appeared more luminous than the water. Wherever 

 the drops of this water, after it had been stirred, fell to the ground, 

 they shined; and the children in the family diverted themselves 

 with taking the drops, which were as broad as a penny, and run. 

 ning with them about the house. The cook observed, that when 

 she turned up that side of the fish that was lowest, no light came 

 from it ; and that, when the water had settled for some time, it did 

 not shine at all. The day following, the water gave but little 

 light, and only after a brisk agitation, though the fishes continued 

 to shine as well from the inside as the outside, and especially about 

 the throat, and such places as seemed to have been a little broken 

 in the boiling. 



When, in the light of the sun, he examined with a microscope, 

 a small piece of a fish which had shined very much the night before, 

 he found nothing remakable on its surface, except that he thought 

 he perceived what he calls a steam, rather dark than luminous, 

 arising like a very small dust from the fish, and here and there a 

 very small and almost imperceptible sparkle. Of these sparkles he 

 had no doubt ; but he thought it possible that the steam might be a 

 deception of the sight, or some dust in the air. 



Finding the fish to be quite dry, he moistened it with his spittle; 

 and then observed that it gave a little light, though but for a short 

 time. The fish at that time was not fetid, nor yet insipid to the 

 List discerning palate. Two of the fishes he kept two or three 



