Curiosities of Science. 173 



Worlds, near the coasts of Europe, Africa, and America at the 

 extreme north or farthest south, have been found either in the 

 West Indies, or the British Isles, or within the well-known 

 range of Gulf-Stream waters. 



" THE HOESE LATITUDES" 



are the belts of calms and light airs which border the polar 

 edge of the north-east trade-winds. They are so called from 

 the circumstance that vessels formerly bound from New Eng- 

 land to the West Indies, with a deck-load of horses, were often 

 so delayed in this calm belt of Cancer, that, from the want of 

 water for their animals, they were compelled to throw a portion 

 of them overboard. 



" WHITE WATER" AND LUMINOUS ANIMALS AT SEA. 



Captain Kingman, of the American clipper-ship Shooting 

 Star, in lat. 8 46' S., long. 105 30' E., describes a patch of 

 white water, about twenty-three miles in length, making the 

 whole ocean appear like a plain covered with snow. He tilled 

 a 60-gallon tub with the water, and found it to contain small 

 luminous particles seeming to be alive with worms and in- 

 sects, resembling a grand display of rockets and serpents seen 

 at a great distance in a dark night ; some of the serpents ap- 

 pearing to be six inches in length, and very luminous. On 

 being taken up, they emitted light until brought within a few 

 feet of a lamp, when nothing was visible ; but by aid of a sex- 

 tant's magnifier they could be plainly seen a jelly-like sub- 

 stance, without colour. A specimen two inches long was visi- 

 ble to the naked eye ; it was about the size of a large hair, and 

 tapered at the ends. By bringing one end within about one- 

 fourth of an inch of a lighted lamp, the flame was attracted 

 towards it, and burned with a red light ; the substance crisped 

 in burning, something like hair, or appeared of a red heat 

 before being consumed. In a glass of the water there were 

 several small round substances (say r^th of an inch in diameter) 

 which had the power of expanding and contracting; when ex- 

 panded, the outer rim appeared like a circular saw, the teeth 

 turned inward. 



The scene from the clipper's deck was one of awful gran- 

 deur : the sea having turned to phosphorus, and the heavens 

 being hung in blackness, and the stars going out, seemed to 

 indicate that all nature was preparing for that last grand con- 

 flagration which we are taught to believe will annihilate this 

 material world. 



INVENTION OF THE LOG. 



Long before the introduction of the Log, hour-glasses were 



