22 THE UNIVERSE. 



mountain chains, and under the influence of certain 

 meteoroloo-ical changes we see them rise to the surface of 

 its watery sheet, where they form immense luminous fur- 

 rows in the wake of the ships. 



The Mihary Noctiluca is one of those which play the 

 greatest part in the phosphorescence of the ocean. Seen 

 with the aid of a powerful microscope, this minute animal- 

 cule looks like a tiny sphere of diaphanous jelly, bestrewn 



11. The Jliliary Moctiluca, highly magni&ed—Noctiluca miliaria. 



with luminous points, and carrying a thin filiform appendix, 

 which some naturalists look upon as a sucker. 



Water presents another peculiarity equally curious, and 

 for a long time inexplicable. At times it takes on a blood- 

 red tint, which in every age has startled and alarmed the 

 vulgar. 



From the remotest times men have sought for the cause 

 of this phenomenon, which wore the look of a prodigy, and 

 it was only explained on some strange hyiDothesis or other. 

 But since the discovery of the microscope it has been 

 thoroughly investigated, and it has been shown that the 

 redness of the water depends upon the presence of ex- 

 tremely small plants and animals, which, under the influence 

 of certain atmospheric conditions, multiply in such abund- 

 ance, that the mind only with difficulty realizes the mar- 

 vellous nature of their procreation. 



A Belgian savant, M. Morren, after collecting together 



