Mr. Macartney’s Observations 
q,6o 
lie adds, appeared to be precisely the same sort of points that 
illuminated the whole of the sea at t3ie time. They were 
therefore in all probability the minute kind of medusa, which 
I shall have occasion to describe hereafter. 
Godei-ieu de Riville states, in a paper sent to the Academy 
of Sciences at Paris, that on opening the scomber pelamis 
while alive, he found in different parts of its body an oil which 
gave out much light : but it should be observed, that Riville 
had a particular theory to support, for which this fact was 
very convenient, and that other parts of his memoir bear 
marks of inaccuracy. It may be added, that if the oil of fishes 
were usually luminous, which Riville supposed, it would be 
almost universally known, instead of resting on a solitary 
observation. 
As far as I am able to determine from what I have seen, 
the faculty of exhibiting light during life does not belong to 
the class of fishes. It appears probable, that some fishes may 
have acquired the character of being luminous, from evolving 
light soon after death. 
Some species of lepas, murex, and chama, and some star- 
fish have been said to possess the power of shining ; and the 
assertion has been repeated by one writer after another, but 
without quoting any authority. 
Brugueire upon one occasion saw, as he supposed, com- 
mon earth worms in a luminous state ; all the hedges were 
filled with them ; he remarked that the light resided princi- 
pally in the posterior part of the body.* 
Flaugergues pretended to have seen earth worms luminous 
In three instances ; it was at each time in October ; the body 
* Journal d’Histoire Naturelle, Tom. II. 
