Miscellanies. 209 



somewhat different, as taken at the Sandwich Islands, and in the 

 Straits of Malacca. The former were globular and transparent, with 

 a yellowish point in the centre, the latter were rather oval with a de- 

 pression in the centre, so that they were somewhat kidney-shaped ; 

 they also were entirely yellowish. 



In all the animals which possess phosphorescence, the property 

 has appeared to us to depend upon a particular principle, probably a 

 secretion of these animals, which, however, differs as to the manner 

 in which it is scattered around. Some of them, as the small phos- 

 phorescent Crustacea, can distinctly emit it in certain circumstances, 

 especially when, by any cause, they are irritated ; they then project 

 true jets, regular fusees of phosphorescent matter, in such quantities 

 as to form a luminous atmosphere in which they disappear. We have 

 succeeded in collecting a certain quantity of this matter upon the 

 sides of a vessel which contained a great number of these Crustacea. 

 Others of these animals did not appear to possess the power of emit- 

 ting this matter, and in them it was developed only in certain circum- 

 stances, as for example, when they struck against any body, or when 

 they moved, or when causes of irritation operated upon them. In 

 others again, as in the Cephalopoda, and in some Pteropoda the phe- 

 nomenon exhibited itself in a way that was nearly quite passive. The 

 phosphorescent matter contained in their nucleus, or in other parts of 

 their bodies, shone constantly and uniformly so long as the animal 

 was in the enjoyment of life, and along with this disappeared the light 

 they shed abroad. Finally, in the yellowish corpuscules above de- 

 scribed, the phosphorescent matter also shines almost uniformly, but 

 if brought into contact with any reagent, their lustre is first increas- 

 ed, and then insensibly vanishes away. The phosphorescent matter 

 which we collected on the sides of the vase, was yellowish, slightly 

 viscous, and very soluble in the water, which it rendered luminous at 

 the moment it was projected by the animal. — Comptes Rendus, No. 

 XV., 5 Avril, p. 458. — lb, 



38. On the Composition of a new Indelible Ink; by Dr. Traill. — 

 In a paper lately read before the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Dr. 

 Traill, after an account of many unsuccessful experiments to produce 

 a durable ink from metallic combinations, stated that he was induced 

 to attempt the composition of a carbonaceous liquid, which should 

 possess the qualities of good writing-ink. The inks used by the an- 

 cients were carbonaceous, and have admirably resisted the effects of 

 time ; but the author found that the specimens of writings on the 

 Herculaneum and Egyptian papyri were eff.iced by washing with 

 water ; and on forming inks after the descriptions of Vitruvius, Dios- 



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