IGNIS FATUUS. 
657 
and distinctly touched my cheek, upon which I felt a sensible 
glow ; but my breath made it bound away again to a con- 
siderable distance. 
It is probable that the Ignis Fatuus is simply a luminous 
gas or phosphoric light, arising from the oily particles of 
decomposed aquatic plants floating on the surface of the 
drains, and that it is so feeble as only to be visible on the 
darkest and dampest nights ; or from the decomposition of 
the many resinous pine trees which once grew there, and 
whose remains still lie buried in the peat ; by some this is 
said to be carburetted or phosphoretted hydrogen, and is 
termed marsh gas. Several kinds of decayed wood acquire 
this phosphorescent appearance, especially if buried in wet 
situations, portions of such in the dark appear like a mass of 
pale flame. 
I well remember a story of a lad in the Fens, who was sent 
to milk the cows : as he was returning, he saw “ Will o* the 
Wisp,” as it is commonly called, which he took for some 
supernatural face staring at him ; this so alarmed him that 
he laid himself down with his face to the ground, where he 
remained for some time ; at last, venturing to look up, and 
finding the dreaded form had disappeared, he ran home, 
leaving his milk pails behind him. I have only once heard 
of this light settling fixedly on any object, excepting on the 
occasion already stated in the New Zealand forest. The 
Rector of Coveney was driving home one dark rainy night 
from Ely, when he saw a light on the other side of the hedge, 
which he thought at first proceeded from a lantern, but it 
immediately came and attached itself to the ears of his horse 
in the form of two globules, where it remained several minutes. 
The lights of St. Elmo, or corpus sanctum , commonly called 
by sailors cormorzants, which are said to be blue flames, like 
those of candles, are not unfrequently seen at the mast head, 
generally during a storm or soon after one. The Master of the 
brig Venture } of Wanganui, noticed as many as five luminous 
balls at once, settling on different parts of the rigging ; the 
mate was bold enough to climb up, and touch them, he 
said they were merely luminous bubbles, which burst when 
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