NOVKMBER 4, 1887.] 



SCIENCE. 



227 



coupled with that of Van Benedin and numerous other European 

 zoologists, we assume is weight enough to give respectability. 



The luminosity of gorgonias, sea-worms, star-fishes, etc., is a well- 

 known fact to us from long residence on the Florida reefs ; but, 

 should it be desirable to fortify such evidence, we would refer to testi- 

 mony of Sir Wy villa Thompson, and several other successful dredgers. 



It would have saved somewhat of the task of this expose', had the 

 reviewer read the history of the Brisinga, the lummous star-fish, 

 which ' Living Lights ' gives amply, and illustrates by process 

 picture from the original, through courtesy of M. Filhol and M. 

 Dubois, the latter having had some of the dredgings of the ' Talis- 

 man ' for examination. The work of Charles Abjordsen of Nor- 

 way, on the lummosity of this creature, is also e.xtant, who pleas- 

 antly named it Gloria maris. M. Quatrefages may also be called 

 to testify, if need be, whose valuable work on the luminosity of the 

 star-fishes is well known. P. Martin Duncan and some others are 

 remembered in this connection. 



The crustaceans are next summoned to show cause. Must we 

 arraign our own Verrill and Smith ? Shall the ancient Viviani be 

 questioned ? May we lightly dispute the words of Nordenskiold, 

 Giglioli, Sir Joseph Banks, MM. Eydoux and Souleyet, Norman, 

 Vaughn, Thompson, Murray, V. Willemoes Suhm, and a host of 

 others whose descriptions of the luminosity of crustaceans are not 

 in sober earnest to be called " displays of pyrotechnical natural his- 

 tory " ? The attractive picture of Colossendeis, copied from M. 

 Filhol's delightful work, is one with others which the reviewer 

 chooses to designate as "conjectural illustrations " and " ideal view 

 for which there is no excuse." 



Regarding fishes. Dr. Gunther's views and statements are con- 

 sidered good science. His kindly correspondence with the author 

 pleasantly confirms all that he has written on phosphorescence of 

 fishes. 



M. Carlo Emery, of the Italian Zoological Schools, kindly com- 

 municated his experiments to the author, with drawings, on the 

 luminosity of the insect Ltccciola italica. It were better due 

 this eminent naturalist in the pages of an American science journal 

 to acknowledge his original investigations in the spirit of science, 

 rather than pronounce them examples of " pyrotechnical natural 

 history," etc. 



It certainly cannot be necessary to go further ; but as the picture 

 of a heron was particularly mentioned as " distinctly misleading," 

 etc., it may be well to direct attention to the facts in the case. At- 

 tention to the text will show that the author carefully and at much 

 trouble set about gaining, if possible, any additional knowledge 

 concerning the alleged luminosity of the breast of the night-heron. 

 It has long been a widely known belief among hunters that the 

 powder-down patches on the heron's breast are at times luminous. 

 We have learned from very many ornithologists that the belief was 

 familiar to themselves, and in general there is an inclination to con- 

 sider it true. The editor of ' Living Lights ' received some re- 

 markable confirmations of the long-existing say-so, and in his book 

 plainly exhibits several of the most convincing, — no less than pos- 

 itive statements in answer to categorical inquiries by the author. 



It chanced that we were able to ask the opinion of the eminent 

 English naturalist, Mr. Alfred Russell Wallace, to whom this sub- 

 ject was familiar. He expressed readiness to believe the existence of 

 luminosity in such birds, notwithstanding the literature on the sub- 

 ject is so meagre, and quoted the well-known case of the lantern- 

 fly. Mr. Wallace was an explorer in South America, as is well 

 known, and in answer to our question he said, " I did not observe 

 the phenomenon of luminosity in the lantern-fly, but Madam 

 Merian, the distinguished entomologist, and the Marquis Spinola, 

 did ; the former giving detailed accounts of several which emitted 

 such powerful luminosity, on opening the box in which they were 

 conflned, that she was alarmed. I am therefore not entitled to 

 deny the statements." 



Regarding the higher animals and man. as in relation to the 

 phenomenon of luminosity, the long-recorded example of the bril- 

 liant eyes of the South American monkey should be regarded ; and 

 if the statements concerning man, as published by Dr. Phipson in 

 his nearly unique treatise on this subject, as quoted by the author, 

 are not entitled to respect, and protection from the assertion that 

 such " statements are distinctly misleading and wrong . . . and 



highly colored, and admitted on very slender evidence," then we 

 have no remedy. 



In a few words, the considerable fresh material in ' Living Lights ' 

 should have received favorable notice ; for, added to the large 

 amount of facts in marine zoology long familiar to the author 

 through actual personal contact with marine life on all parts of our 

 coast, on the extreme northern and on the Florida shores, and on. 

 the two oceans, here is presented noticeable examples of luminosity 

 in every grand division of zoology, and in the vegetable and min- 

 eral worlds, all furnished by the eminent zoologists, with accom- 

 panying figures, which the reviewer has chosen to ignore or ridi- 

 cule. 



The amount of information and data obtained by the author 

 through the United States Fishery Commission is very great, and 

 it is due to the memory of the late lamented commissioner to say 

 that the work of the ' Albatross ' and ' Fish Hawk ' exceeds all 

 others in the contributions to science derived from the deep-sea 

 dredgings. The history of luminous marine animals, judged by 

 those acquainted with marine zoology, is by no means exhausted. 



A. 



New York, Oct. 26. 



Sorghum-Sugar. 



In an article under the above caption published in Science about 

 a year ago (viii. p. 361), I ventured to make the following prediction 

 with reference to the experiments which were being carried on in 

 Kansas under the direction of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture : — 



" The indications from the present results are most hopeful, — 

 that, with the expenditure of a small fraction of the money and 

 brains that have been required to develop the sugar of the beet, the 

 sorghum-sugar industry will take a leading place among American 

 industries, and enable Uncle Sam to accomplish a long-cherished 

 hope, viz., of making his own sweets." 



The results of this season's work, while it is not yet fully com- 

 pleted, would seem to show that this prediction is in a fair way to- 

 be fully confirmed within a very few years, for a great advance has 

 already been made towards the solution of the problem of the 

 profitable production of sugar from sorghum. 



The final outcome of last year's work was extremely discouraging^ 

 to many friends of the industry, and it was only by strenuous efforts 

 on the part of the few who still retained their faith, that the neces- 

 sary appropriation for the continuation of the experiments could be 

 obtained from Congress. Many thought that the question would 

 be definitely settled by the experiments last year, and, as the results 

 achieved were chiefly of a negative character, they considered that 

 it was proved a failure. Perhaps too much was expected to be 

 accomplished in so short a time. It has often been the case with 

 great undertakings, and in the accomplishment of scientific prob- 

 lems, that their prospect looked darkest just before the dawn of 

 their success. Such has been the case with sorghum-sugar. Nega- 

 tive results frequently contribute greatly toward ultimate success,, 

 and the lessons taught by some of last year's failures have been 

 turned to very valuable account in this year's work. 



The two difficulties mentioned in the article referred to as en- 

 countered in last season's work — viz., the cleaning of the chips, and 

 the treatment of the juice — have been successfully grappled with. 

 The former is accomplished by ingenious yet simple mechanical 

 devices. The cane is fed, leaves and all, to an ordinary ensilage- 

 cutter, which cuts it all into pieces about one and a half or two- 

 inches in length. These are carried to a height by an elevator, and 

 thence dropped through a series of separating-fans, where the ref- 

 use, consisting of the blades and sheaths, is blown out ; its separa- 

 tion from the sections of cane being quite complete on account of 

 the much greater weight of the latter. The cleaned pieces of cane 

 are then carried to a small cylindrical cutter, whose operation is very 

 similar to that of a planing-machine, and which cuts the cane into 

 quite small chips, or shreds. Thus the diffusion is effected upon 

 well-cleaned cane, — a fact which doubtless contributes greatly to 

 the purity of the juices obtained. The inversion of the juice in the 

 cell, which is very apt to occur with sorghum on account of its 

 large content of various vegetable acids, is controlled by the use of 

 precipitated carbonate of lime, which is added to the contents of 



