^^8 OBSERVATIONS ON LUMINOUS ANIMALS. 



Beroefulgens I" September, 1806, I took at Sandgate a number of the 



of various sizes, beroe fulgens, but no other species : they were of various 



dimensions, from the full size down to that of the medusa 



scintilians: they could however be clearly distinguished 



from the latter species, by their figure. ?5r„ 



Medusa scintil- Since that time, I have frequently met with the medusa, 



paits°uf our " scintlllans on different parts of the coast of Sussex, at Tenby^ 



e >asts, and at Milford haven. I have likewise seen this species 'm 



the bays of Dublin and Carliugford in Ireland. 

 Number of the In the month of April, last year, I caught a number of the 

 caueht '' beroc fulgens in the sea at Hastings: they were of various 



sizes, from about the half of an inch in length, to the bulk of 

 the head of a large pin. I found many of them adhering to- 

 gether in the sea; some of the larger sort were covered with 

 ■ small ones, which fell off when the animals were handled ; 

 and, by a person unaccustomed to observe these creatures, 

 would have been taken for a phosphoric substance. On 

 putting a number of them into a glass, containing clear sea 

 water, they still showed a disposition to congregate upon 

 Cause of the the surface. I observed, that, when they adhered together, 



diffused hght ^^ showed no contractile motion in any part of their body, 



on the ocean, ■' •' ^ •" 



which explains the cause of the pale or white colour of the 



aniofthe diffused light of the ocean. The flashes of light, which I 

 H^^'^h" saw come from the sea at Heme bay, were probably pro- 



duced by a sudden and general effort of the medusce to sepa« 

 rate from each other, and descend in the water. 

 I^Tedusa scinti!- The medusa scintilians almost constantly exists in th-e 

 lans abounds in different branches of Milford hasten, that are called pills- I 

 Mihord havent , . » , , . , ,, , . , 



have sometimes found these animals collected m such vast 



numbers in those situations, that they bore a considerable 

 proportion to the volume of the water in which they were 

 ^ contained: thus, from a gallon of sea water in a luminous 

 state I have strained above a pint of these medusas. I have 

 found the sea under such circumstances to yield me more 

 support in swimming, and the water to taste more disagree- 

 Probably affect ably than usual ; probably the difference of density, that 

 the density of j^^^ ^^^^ remarked at different times in the water of the sea, 

 the sea. , , . 



may be referred to this cause. 



The most fre- All iny owu observations lead me to conclude, thatthe 



fluent source ofj^gjyga gcintillaus is the most frequent source of -the ii^t 

 itbe luminous- 



6 of 



