78 LIVING LIGHTS. 



phosphorescent eyes. Others have phosphorescent organs in 

 various parts of the body. In one, the legs bear luminous 

 bands that sparkle and gleam as the animal moves along' in 

 its dismal home. In others there are certain globular lumin- 

 ous organs beneath the thorax, and between the abdominal 

 swimmerets that have been described as eyes. The light 

 emitted by the several organs is of different degrees of 

 brilliancy. 



Vaughn Thompson is opposed to the theory that the 

 objects on the side of the trunk, and along the ventral face 

 of the tail, of these little creatures are eyes. " A re-exami- 

 nation," he says, " proves that they are not visual organs at 

 all, but constitute rather a highly complicated luminous 

 apparatus together ; the lenticular bod}- of the organs acting 

 as a condenser, which, in connection with the great mobility 

 of the globules, enables the animal to produce at will a very 

 bright flash of light in a given direction. The great majority 

 of species possess these organs, generally arranged in a per- 

 fectly similar manner ; but in a large, deep-sea, non-pellucid 

 Uuphausia, V. Wiliemoes Suhiu could not detect these glob- 

 ules in their usual place. 



" The phosphorescent light emitted by the species of the 

 JSuphausiidoe was frequently under observation. One taken 

 by forceps exhibited a pair of bright, phosphorescent 

 spots directly behind the eyes ; two other pairs were on 

 the trunk, and four other spots were situated along the 

 median line of the tail, — all quite visible to the naked 

 eye. The light of these is a bluish white. After a bril- 

 liant flash as been emitted from the organs, they glow for 

 some time with a dull light. The light is given out at 

 will by the animal, and usually, but not always, when irri- 



