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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 773 



and percoids with the berycoids and other less 

 important groups together under one suborder. 

 This suborder is subdivided into "groups" 

 so called doubtless to express a separation of 

 convenience rather than of exactness. The 

 following two paragraphs appear respectively 

 under the groups Scombroidei and Percoidea. 



Seomiroidei. — This group of mackerel-like fishes 

 is not capable of exact definition, its deviations 

 from the ordinary type of spiny-rayed fishes being 

 various and in various directions, so that no set 

 of diagnostic characters will cover them. The 

 group is not a suborder as the term is generally 

 understood; it is incapable of simple definition, 

 and in its divergence some members approach to 

 other groups more nearly than to extreme or even 

 to typical members of their own. The group is, 

 however, a somewhat natural one, as by the com- 

 mon consent of ichthyologists its different types 

 have always been kept near each other in the 

 system of classification. 



Percoidea. — ^A group of fishes of diverse habits 

 and forms, but on the whole, representing better 

 than any other the typical aeanthopterygian fish. 

 The group is incapable of concise definition, or, 

 in general, of any definition at all; still, most of 

 its members are definitely related to each other, 

 and bear in one way or another a resemblance to 

 the typical form, the perch, or more strictly, the 

 sea bass of Serranidae. 



Dr. Jordan in his "Guide to the Study of 

 Fishes " (Henry Holt & Co., New York, 1905) 

 places the percoids and scombroids together in 

 a suborder, excluding the other groups before 

 associated with them, but still considering 

 them under separate group names. This seems 

 to be for the present the most rational treat- 

 ment of the subject. 



Edwin Chapin Staeks 



Staitfoed Universitt, Cal. 



luminous termite hills 

 Many years ago, while in the Amazon re- 

 gion, I found that the termite hills, which are 

 there such a conspicuous feature in many lo- 

 calities, are luminous at night. My first ac- 

 quaintance with this phenomenon was made 

 in the vicinity of Santarem, Brazil, upon a 

 nocturnal walk tlu-ough the forest. In the 

 company of some natives I was following one 

 of the narrow paths which lead to the scattered 



habitations. The darkness beneath the canopy 

 of foliage was absolute and progress was only 

 possible by the "feel" of the ground under 

 foot. Suddenly there appeared through the 

 foliage a luminous area composed of innu- 

 merable points of phosphorescent light which 

 appeared to shift and fuse into each other, 

 thus forming more brilliant patches which 

 were constantly resolving themselves and again 

 appearing. This light suggested the steady 

 diifused glow of the familiar " fox fire " rather 

 than the more brilliant display of the fire-flies, 

 yet the slow and confused movements which 

 seemed to pervade the whole luminous zone 

 were strongly suggestive of insects. Upon my 

 expression of surprise the natives replied 

 laconically, " cupim," the native name for 

 termite. 



The luminous area was indeed one of the 

 large termite hills which are scattered through 

 those parts of the forest not subject to inun- 

 dation. These termite hills rise from the 

 ground in an irregular conical mass to a 

 height of from five or six feet to perhaps ten 

 or twelve. They are constructed of clay and 

 are exceedingly hard. The mounds are per- 

 fectly bare of vegetation and on that account 

 have a characteristic appearance of nevmess. 

 Afterwards I frequently saw these luminous 

 termite hills and they added in no small de- 

 gree to the mystery and charm of the tropical 

 nights. I remember one display of particular 

 splendor , seen when visiting at a house which 

 commanded a view over a large clearing. 

 Numbers of termite hills were scattered over 

 the clearing, and at night, when these all 

 glowed and scintillated upon the black forest 

 background, the spectacle was one never to be 

 forgotten. 



Unfortunately I took it for granted that 

 such a conspicuous phenomenon must be well 

 Imown to naturalists and so did not investi- 

 gate it. Since then I have searched the avail- 

 able literature on termites and on luminous 

 insects and have questioned entomologists and 

 botanists in the vain hope of obtaining in- 

 formation on this subject. The phenomenon 

 appears to have remained unknown to nat- 

 uralists. The only references to it that I 



