326 



LUMIWOUS WOOD. 



By CHARLES T. MUSSON, 

 Nottinghn7H. 



On September i6th, 1884, a member of our Nottingham Naturalists' 

 Society (Mr. Scherffius) brought me some ' luminous wood/ obtained 

 at Burton Joyce, near this town. It is part of a root of the common 

 hawthorn, not having any appearance of decay, about \\ inches 

 thick originally (now spht up into several pieces, and brilliantly 

 luminous on the fresh split surfaces). It was obtained from a hedge 

 that had been recently trimmed ; the roots being exposed along the 

 hedge bank for some distance, but only in one case presenting this 

 curious phenomenon. It is tolerably common in the case of ' touch- 

 wood,' many of my friends having observed it, as also in fish (said to 

 be the result of decay) ; but so far as I can tell, it appears to be rare in 

 wood that is sound (to all appearance). The luminosity is only seen 

 on the spht surfaces, and penetrates into the wood for one-eighth of 

 an inch or slightly more. Chips were cut off that appeared like ' shoes 

 of moonlight.' The luminosity could be cut away until the dark 

 and non-luminous wood was seen as black, against the pale bluish 

 phosphorescent appearance of the illuminated portions. The wood 

 was wet, and as long as it remained so the luminosity was strik- 

 ingly brilliant (of course seen best in a dark room). 

 I extract the following from my journal : — ■ 

 Sept. 17. Luminosity not so bright. 



,, 18. Fainter than ever. Put some in a damp cloth for an 

 hour, after which it had improved in brightness. 



,, 20. Only just apparent. 



,, 21. Soaked it in water for \\ hours, and, on examination, 

 the luminosity was as brilliant as when first obtained. 

 ,, 22. Luminosity faint. 



„ 23. To-day there are no traces of luminosity in the wood. 

 Oct. 4. Mr. Scherffius tells me the root from which it was 

 taken is slightly luminous still — as it also was on 

 October 8th, owing no doubt to the rain having 

 • kept it damp. 



Pieces of the wood have been submitted to several gentlemen 

 (Mr. W. B. Grove, of Birmingham ; Messrs. G. B. and Charles L. 

 Rothera, of Nottingham), the general impression being that the 

 luminosity is due to the presence of fungoid threads, combined with 

 the decomposition of the wood. 



In an article in Encyc. Brit., 9th ed., p. 829, on Fungi, by George 

 Murray, it says: — 



Naturalist. 



