^ 



OBSLUVATIONS ON LIJMINOUS ANIMALS. 339 



.' The 'property of emitting light has been reported to be- Lumlnousness 



lone to seTeral fishes, more particularly the mackarel, the^'^'^"^^^,'^'^' 



° , ' * -^ . ' roneouslv to 



nioonfish (tctraodon mcla), the dorado, mullet, sprat, &c. ceitaln fishes j 



'Mr. Bajon observed during the migration of the dora* 

 does, &c., that their bodies were covered with luminous 

 points. These however proved upon examination to be 

 minute spherical particles, that adhered to the surface of 

 these fishes; and, he adds, appeared to be precisely the 

 same sort of points, that illuminated the whole of the sea 

 at the time. They were therefore in ail probability the 

 minute kind of medusa, Avhich I shall have occasion to 

 describe hereatter. 



Godeheu de Riville states, in a paper sent to the Aca- 

 demy of Sciences at Paris, that, on opening the scomber 

 pclamis while alive, he found in difterent parts of its body 

 an oil which gave out much light : but it should be observed, 

 that Riville had a particular theory to support, for which 

 this fact was very convenient; and that other parts of hii^ 

 memoir bear marks of inaccuracy. It may be added, that, 

 if the oil of fishes Avere usually luminous, which Rivilic 

 supposed, it would be almost universally known, instead 

 of resting on a solitary observation. 



As far as I am able to determine from what I have seen, (but no fishes 

 the faculty of exhibiting light during life does not belong *<> ^^^{^ 'fi^-^^^ 

 the class of fishes. It appears probable, that some fishes 

 may have acquired the character of being luminous, from 

 evolving light soon after death. 



Some species of lepas, murex, and chama, and some to some vermee; 

 starfish have been said to possess the power of shining; and 

 the assertion has been repeated by one writer after another, 

 but without quoting any authority. 



Brogueire upon one occasion saw, as he supposed, com- earthwormsj 

 mon earthworms in a luminous state; all the hedges were 

 filled with them; he r. marked, that the light resided jria- 

 cipally in the posterior part of the body*. 



Flaugergues pretended to have seen earthworms iutoinous 

 in three instancesj it. was at each time in October; the 



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