84 LIVING LIGHTS. 



to be the principal seat of their luminosity. Inside, also, 

 there appeared to be a multitude of oblong, narrow glands, 

 exhibiting a high degree of phosphoric power. The color of 

 these animals, when in repose, is an opal yellow, mixed with 

 green ; but, on the slightest movement, the animal exhibits 

 a spontaneous contractile power, and assumes a luminous 

 brilliancy, passing through various shades of deep red, orange 

 green, and azure blue. 



Professor Moseley captured a Pyrosoma four feet long, ten 

 inches in diameter, with walls an inch in thickness. It was 

 placed upon the deck of the vessel, and, when the naturalist 

 wrote his name upon the animal with his finger, it came out 

 in letters of fire: each letter seeming to increase in size, 

 until the entire name was lost in a blaze of light, that radi- 

 ated rapidly and soon suffused the entire animal ; presenting 

 a marvellous spectacle, and showing, in a striking manner, 

 how intimately the animals are connected. In Plate XVII. 

 a Pyrosoma of the largest size is shown in comparison with 

 a native diver. 



Sir Wyville Thompson observed the Pyrosomce off the Cape 

 Verde Islands, and refers to the " blaze of phosphorescence 

 and train of intense brightness that followed the ship ; " and, 

 while he did not experiment with the animals in his cabin, 

 as did Bibra, he says, " It was an easy matter to read the 

 smallest print, sitting at the after port in my cabin ; and the 

 bows shed on either side rapidly widening spaces of radiance, 

 so vivid as to throw the sails and rigging into distinct lights 

 and shadows. The first night or two after leaving San lago, 

 the phosphorescence seemed chiefly due to large Pyrosomce, 

 of which we took many specimens in the tow-net, and wliich 

 glowed in the water with a white light like that from molten 

 iron." 



