314. 



Luminousness of the Sea, 



It is about the fourteenth of an inch in length, and appa- 

 rently consists of tentacula alone, no central nucleus being 

 observable. Each of the tentacula is jointed numerously, and 

 the whole were arranged somewhat in the form of an hour- 

 glass, or like a bundle of faggots, loosely tied in the middle, 

 and spreading out at each end. {Jig. 8\.d) The tentacula evi- 

 dently appeared to be connected in the centre, but were loose, 

 and unattached at the extremities. They occurred princi- 

 pally in the Straits of Malacca, but were also frequently seen 

 in the open ocean. No description or representation of these 

 two last-mentioned animals, as far as I know, has ever been 

 given. I consider myself, therefore, entitled to conclude, in 

 the mean time, that they are new species ; but, as Dr. Maccul- 

 loch has ascertained a great number of new genera, and as 

 these may belong to some of his, I shall decline for the present 

 giving them names. The same is to be remarked of all the 

 other animals which I shall describe to-night : as far as I am 

 aware they are all hitherto undescribed, and as the seas in 

 which I procured them have never, to my knowledge, been 

 examined by naturalists in respect to the animals in question, 

 I may on this account be the more bold to describe them as 

 new. Along with these last two, in the Straits of Malacca 

 two other kinds occurred in considerable abundance. The 

 one (Jig. 81. ^) was composed of short, thick, curved ten- 

 tacula, disposed in a circular manner, all meeting in the centre, 

 and entwining with each other. They were not jointed, dif- 

 fering materially in this respect from the two already described. 

 The other {Jig. SI. J") was composed of short straight tentacula, 

 not jointed, disposed in a circular or oval shape, and at times 

 as in g, they appeared to be as it were double, as if one were 

 attached to and growing out of the other ; natural size of the 

 last two species scarcely that of a very small pin's point, 

 g being about double the size of the others. 



An exceedingly interesting little animal, a Mediis«, occurred 

 once to me in the Straits of Banca, which evidently possessed 

 a luminous property. I only procured one specimen, and it 

 was during the day. After examination it was removed into 

 a wineglass full of clear sea-water, and kept till evening. When 

 taken to a dark place, the water, upon its surface being struck 

 and agitated by the finger, immediately gave out several bright 

 sparks. This luminousness, however, soon ceased, the agitation 

 of the water being continued ; but, when left undisturbed for 

 some time, it seemed to recover its power, again emitting vivid 

 flashes of light, upon being struck smartly with the top of the 

 finger. The animal itself (j%.81. k), as seen by the micro- 

 . scope, appeared to consist of a hollow transparent gelatinous 



