22 LIVING LIGHTS. 



of light that reached far behind us. Every undulation of the water was 

 lit up with scintillating points of light ; and the ocean round us was so 

 luminous, it would for splendor vie with the finest pyrotechnic display. 

 So intense was the glow, the hull and sails of the vessel were illuminated 

 by it ; and, as I gazed at the glorious spectacle, I was filled with wonder 

 and delight. The scene changed constantly, sometimes less brilliant than 

 others, then again every rope in the ship was lit up ; this, I presume, from 

 the animals being more or less numerous. At the same time, darting in 

 every direction, could be seen numerous fishes, making distinct streaks 

 of light. Luminous spots from one to two inches in diameter were 

 observed some distance under the water. These were medusae,. We 

 captured many in our nets, and placed them in buckets of water on the 

 deck, where they still continued to emit phosphorescent light. The grand 

 scene lasted most of the night, and was faintly visible till dawn of day. 



In the year 1868 or 1869, as I was dredging and collecting on the 

 reefs near Port Louis, Mauritius, I met with one of the most singular 

 sights it is possible to conceive. My Lascar crew gently moved my boat 

 over the reefs, so that I could see any object in the water. The day was 

 beautiful, not a cloud in the sky; but the bright sun shone down into 

 the clear waters of the Indian Ocean, scarcely marked by a ripple on the 

 surface. As the boat crossed over the shelving reef into deep water, 

 what was my astonishment to find the depths alive with hundreds of 

 millions of little creatures (which I supposed to be jelly-fish), actively 

 moving about in the water, as far as the eye could penetrate. The little 

 creatures, as they flitted about, emitted all the colors of the spectrum ; 

 the most brilliant diamond could not vie with the coruscations of light 

 sent out by them. Such a scene must be witnessed to form any idea of 

 its magnificence:, the whole ocean was aglow with colored lights. I 

 threw over my hand-net, and drew many thousands into the boat, which 

 I placed in a large glass jar filled with sea-water, where I could examine 

 them. They proved to be young polyps of different species of the reef- 

 building corals. Those that I carried home were still luminous in the 

 evening, and I thought I would pay a visit later, to see the effect at night ; 

 and it was truly great. The sea was one vast area of luminosity. The 

 illumination extended for miles. Fishing-boats making for Port Louis 

 harbor could be plainly seen a long way off by the phosphorescent light 



