STUDIES ON THE LUMINOUS FUNGUS. 25 



X. The Fungus-light and Photography. 



It has already been shown by the experiments of Dubois^, 

 Baenakd 2 \ and Molisch 3) that the light of luminous bacteria is 

 sensible to photographic dry-plate. Moreover, Molisch 4) has taken 

 photographs by the light of a luminous mycelium. Since the light 

 emitted by luminous bacteria is in many respects similar to that 

 of Hymenomycetes, the sensibility of the latter to photographic 

 dry-plate could be taken in anticipation. At first, I have fixed the 

 photographic apparatus in a dark room at night, using dry-plates 

 of such brands as " Lion," " Ilford Alliance," &c, with the view 

 of photographing the luminous side of Pleurotus Japoniciis. Two 

 dry-plates were exposed to the fungus-light for three and five 

 hours respectively, without either of them receiving any impression 

 as the result. When specimens of the fungus were placed, with 

 their luminous side downward, directly upon dry -plates in the dark 

 and left in that position for one hour, the plates received but a 

 slight impression. Next, extremely sensitive plates of the brand 

 " Ilford Alliance, fastest," were used in the following way : The 

 dry-plate was placed on a table in the dark room, with the filmed 

 surface upward ; a fern was then put on it and covered with a 

 clear glass-plate, upon which was placed a specimen of the fungus 

 with the luminous side downward. After three hours' exposure 

 under the above arrangement, the plate was developed. The re- 

 sult is shown in the figure 1. in Plate III. Replacing the fern 

 -leaf with a red maple-leaf and by exposure of one hour and fifty 

 minutes, the result was also successful, as attested by the figure 

 2 of the same plate. 



1) Dubois, K., Das kalte Licht, (Umschau, 1901.) — 2) Barnard, J. E., Luminous Bacteria, 

 (Nature, 1902.)— 3) Molisch, H., Bakterienlicht und photograpische Platte, (Sitzber. d. Kais. Akad. 

 zu Wien. Bd. CXII. Abt. I, 1903.)— 4) Molisch, H., Leuchtende Pflanzen, p. 137, 1904. 



