THE INDIAN OCEAN. 815 
emitting a bright speck of light. Sometimes this 
was like a sudden flash, at others appearing like an 
oblong or round luminous point, which continued 
bright for a short time, like a lamp lit beneath the 
water, and moving through it, still possessing its defi- 
nite shape, and then suddenly disappearing. When 
. the bucket was sharply struck on the outside, there 
would appear at once a great number of these lumi- 
nous bodies, which retained their brilliant appearance 
for a few seconds, and then all was dark again. 
They evidently appeared to have it under their own 
will, giving out their light frequently at various 
depths in the water, without -any agitation being 
given to the bucket. At times might be seen mi- 
nute but pretty bright specks of light, darting across 
a piece of water, and then vanishing; the motion of 
the light being exactly that of the Cyclops through 
the water. Upon removing a tumbler-full from the 
bucket, and taking it to the light, a number of Cy- 
clops were accordingly found swimming and darting 
about in it.”* Dr. Baird concludes from these facts 
that the bright globes were large Sea-blubbers 
(Medusa), and that the sparks were minute Entomo- 
straca, somewhat similar in form to those figured 
in the former part of this volume. 
In some highly interesting observations made 
during a series of years by M. Ehrenberg, chiefly in 
the Red Sea, we find many minute animals mentioned 
as luminous; but it is remarkable that after many 
trials he could not detect the slightest light from any 
species of the Hntomostraca, The water was found 
* Zoologist, 1843, p. 55. 
