- 
2 Boston Society of Natural History: “It appeals: 
. attracting my attention. When the earth is disturbed, the 
774 General Notes.. ae [Aug 
and the light advanced as rapidly as I ‘moved my hand, 1 
thought certainly I was in pursuit of the prize, and in my anxiety 
to capture it I would catch up a whole handful of earth. But 
I always noticed that I left the phosphorescent light on the 
ground. The insect eluded me, I thought. After pursuing the 
phantom in vain for some time, I stopped to ponder. After the 
habit of a puzzled man in an inquiring mood, I brushed my foot | 
pellet of earth bristled with a phosphorescent light. Fora 
moment I seemed to lose confidence in the fact that all such 
r ; 
from the sky: “Nate dea, quo fata trahunt retrahuntque, ge 
mur; Quidquid erit, superanda omnis fortuna ferendo est” Bat 
in a moment more I had brushed away these delightful supers: | 
tions, and went to work to find the cause. pe 
aking a quantity of the earth, I went to my study. First ] 
took several pebbles into a dark room and rubbed them 1m my 
liarity. T 
Probably the My riapod which I saw had pounced upon ca 
and the worm’s body touching the ground illuminated it, 
e earth-worm is probably a species o 
Geo. F. Atkinson, Unjz mg : Sat sti pel Hill, 
Jalka sie on, University of North Carolina, Chape | 
