[Illustration:
PLATE XVII.
PYROSOMA AND DIVER.
(_See page 84._)]
LIVING LIGHTS
A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF
PHOSPHORESCENT ANIMALS AND
VEGETABLES
BY
CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER
FELLOW OF THE NEW-YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ETC.; AUTHOR OF “ELEMENTS
OF ZOOLOGY,” “MARVELS OF ANIMAL LIFE,” “THE IVORY
KING,” “WONDER WINGS,” ETC.
LONDON
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, AND RIVINGTON,
St. Dunstan’s House
FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C.
1887
[_All rights reserved_]
TO MY FATHER, THIS VOLUME IS GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED, IN
REMEMBRANCE OF DAYS PASSED AMONG THE LIVING LIGHTS OF THE OUTER
REEF.
PREFACE.
The object of the present work is to interest young people in natural
history by the presentation of an attractive--indeed, marvellous--phase
of nature, and to encourage healthful outdoor observation, as well as
habits of investigation.
The subject chosen for this work--that embracing the phenomenon of
luminosity in animals, plants, and inorganic matter, and especially
those that seem intended as illuminators of the ocean--is one which has
ever possessed a fascination for the author.
During many years spent on Southern shores, in constant association
with the most attractive features of marine life, the remembrance of
the splendors of the night festivals of these wondrous ocean forms
is most enduring. No fairy tale of human invention can relate to us
more fascinating scenes than are realized in Nature’s carnivals of
the sea. Not only is the surface of the ocean, when lashed into foam
by the tempest, luminous, but the greater depths, where the water is
cold, near the freezing-point, and subject to pressure so great that
instruments of glass are shattered and reduced to powder, abound in
living lights.
And this abyssal region, covered by miles in depth of water, and which
was formerly considered to be the most desolate region upon the globe,
is inhabited by light-givers of marvellous beauty and brilliancy.
The little _Malacosteus_, with its gleams of yellow and green;
_Stomias_, with sparkling side-lights; the dazzling effulgence
of _Pyrosoma_; the comet-like glare of _Medusæ_, with their
tints of many colors,--present a series of wonders which must excite
the admiration of the most indifferent observer.
In the United States, there are ten thousand enrolled young
naturalists, comprising the Agassiz Association. As one of a committee
solicited to answer questions propounded by the young people, members
of this association and of the Chautauqua Circle, I have often been
surprised at the nature of the queries, which shows that this army
of young observers includes many who are not merely collectors of
curiosities, but are naturalists in the best sense. They are systematic
inquirers, and working in the right direction to become scientists,
should they continue.
It is to these young scientists, their unscientific elders, and
the boys and girls in general who have not yet had their interest
aroused in Nature’s works, that this volume is addressed; and if some
information is conveyed, while appearing merely to entertain, one
object of the author will have been accomplished.
The subject of phosphorescence is one which affords the widest field
for investigators; as, while the most careful descriptions of the
light-emitting organs have been made, the actual cause of animal
phosphorescence is unknown. Material for study is ever at hand; the
fire-fly courts attention at every summer door-yard, and the pools
of beach and cove are illumined by ocean forms. Even the simplest
experiments are of the greatest interest. I have read by the light of
a luminous beetle, and have determined the time of night while holding
my watch in the glare of ocean animals. Von Bibra wrote his description
of the _Pyrosoma_ by its own light; the shark of Bennett
illuminated his cabin like a chandelier; photographs have been taken
by the light of luminous beetles and by phosphorescent plates; and
probably the day is not distant when more important uses will be found
for this wonderful light, which, in default of a better name, we term
phosphorescence. It is found in the animal, vegetable, and the mineral
kingdoms; in life and in death; in growth and in decay. It illumines,
but does not appear to consume, and without perceptible heat exists
where ordinary combustion is impossible.
From the nature of the subject, it is evident that illustrations of the
phosphorescence of marine animals must be more or less conjectural; and
those given, representing over fifty luminous forms, show as nearly
as possible the probable effect produced. As this work is scientific
only so far as to secure accuracy, some technical details have been
omitted. To compensate in a measure, I have appended a fairly complete
bibliography of most important monographs and papers on the subject,
which may be of value to those who wish to pursue the subject in its
technical relations.
To render the work as popular as possible, certain systematic portions
necessary to the student are placed in an appendix, and referred to by
number. The whole work is also thoroughly indexed.
While the chief feature of the volume embraces the phosphorescence of
animals, it has been deemed advisable to include reference to luminous
plants, minerals, and certain atmospheric phenomena, which, if not
strictly comprehended under our title, will perhaps not be considered
entirely foreign nor uninteresting in this connection.
It is my agreeable duty to acknowledge here the courtesy and kindly
attentions received from M. Raphaël Dubois of the Zoölogical Society
of France; Professor H. Filhol; Professor H. H. Giglioli, Director of
the Zoölogical Institute of Florence, Italy; Professor Carlo Emery of
the University of Bologna, Italy; and M. Zenger of Prague, Hungary, who
generously forwarded for my use their most recent papers on the subject
of phosphorescence.
I have also to name with thanks for similar favors Dr. Gunther, keeper
of the British Museum, and acknowledge the value of contributions from
the works of M. Quatrefages of the Institute of France.
C. F. H.
PASADENA, CAL., July, 1887.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. STARS OF THE SEA 1
II. THE METEORS OF THE SEA 10
III. FIXED LUMINARIES OF THE SEA 19
IV. LUMINOUS ECHINODERMS 29
V. SUBTERRANEAN LIGHT-GIVERS 33
VI. LAMP SHELLS 40
VII. LIGHTNING-BUGS 47
VIII. FIRE-FLIES 59
IX. LANTERN-FLIES 64
X. BY CRAB-LIGHT 72
XI. SEAS OF FLAME 80
XII. FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS 91
XIII. FINNY LIGHT-BEARERS (SURFACE FORMS) 103
XIV. LUMINOUS BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS 108
XV. MAN’S RELATIONS TO THE PHENOMENON OF PHOSPHORESCENCE 116
XVI. LUMINOUS FLOWERS 121
XVII. VEGETABLE LAMPS 127
XVIII. PHANTOMS 140
XIX. LUMINOUS SHOWERS 144
XX. THE USES OF PHOSPHORESCENCE 160
APPENDIX 169
BIBLIOGRAPHY 179
INDEX 185
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PYROSOMA AND DIVER (PLATE XVII.) Facing Title.
SEA BOTTOM. 1,500 metres, or one-quarter of
mile in depth Facing Page 1
FACING PAGE
PLATE I. LUMINOUS PROTOZOANS--LUMINOUS PORTIONS OF NOCTILUCA 3
„ II. M. DE TUSSAN READING BY LIGHT OF PHOSPHORESCENT
SEA 7
„ III. LUMINOUS SEA JELLY--LUMINOUS CORAL--PRUNING-KNIFE
FISH 11
„ IV. LUMINOUS SEA JELLY AND MOLLUSK 13
„ V. VENUS’ GIRDLE 15
„ VI. APOLEMIA--CLEODORA--PRAYA 43
„ VII. BURROW OF PHOLAS--SEA PEN 39
„ VIII. LUMINOUS STAR FISHES. From 4,500 feet deep 29
„ IX. LUMINOUS BEETLES, ETC. 47
„ X. ANATOMICAL DETAILS 53
„ XI. LUMINOUS BEETLE, in burrow of Mole Cricket 59
„ XII. THE LANTERN FLY 63
„ XIII. LUMINOUS MUSHROOMS--LUMINOUS INSECT 137
„ XIV. SPIDER CRAB 75
„ XV. LUMINOUS CRUSTACEANS 79
„ XVI. CHAIN OF SALPS 89
„ XVIII. CHIASMODUS--SUN-FISH--PLAGIODUS--HARPODON--BERYX 97
„ XIX. LUMINOUS FISH. From depth of 8,100 feet 103
„ XX. LUMINOUS FISH 115
„ XXI. UMBELLULARIA--LUMINOUS FISH--SILICIOUS
SPONGE--LUMINOUS CORALS--LUMINOUS CRUSTACEAN 125
„ XXII. LUMINOUS FISH. With two luminous disks, one
emitting a golden, the other a greenish light 132
„ XXIII. DEEP SEA ANGLER 145
„ XXIV. PELICAN FISH 155
„ XXV. LUMINOUS WATERSPOUT 163
„ XXVI. LUMINOSITY OF HERON’S BREAST 109
[Illustration: SEA BOTTOM.
1,500 metres, or one quarter of mile in depth.]
LIVING LIGHTS.
CHAPTER I.
STARS OF THE SEA.
Among the many revelations of modern science, none have a more
absorbing interest than those relating to the illumination of the deep
sea. Until within a few years the ocean has been a sealed book. The
surface forms only were known; and it was assumed that, owing to the
enormous pressure, lack of sunlight, and consequent darkness, Nature,
at least in the abyssal depths, was at fault, and this vast region was
devoid of life and incapable of supporting it.
Recent investigations, however, have shown the reverse, and that this
great area, with its plateaux, its mountain ranges, and its isolated,
coral-capped peaks, whose valleys are now known to lie miles in ocean
depths, teems with living forms, and, far from being the dismal realm
we had supposed, is a region of surpassing wonder; which we may, _in
fancy_, term that lower firmament, where float sparkling, gleaming
constellations, meteor-like disks and globes with trailing luminosity,
single stars and _nebulæ_ of living lights.
The phosphorescence of the sea is no new discovery, and those who have
visited the seashore at night must have witnessed this phenomenon. The
region of coves and beaches along the shores of Eastern Massachusetts,
around Nahant particularly, is a favorable one for its full display. As
the waves come rolling in upon the rocks, or upon the long, expansive
shingle, in tidal measure, we see the foaming crest, seemingly igniting
all along the line, more and more intense in brilliancy, when, with
a roar, it breaks, masses of scintillating liquid upon the sands. We
glide over the smooth portions of this sea, our boat leaving a golden
train; and every dip of oar, or the dash of some affrighted fish,
creates an equally vivid display. Even when not disturbed, looking
down into the calm, clear depths, the same phenomenon is witnessed.
Pale, ghostly forms are seen here and there, moving slowly about,
while the seeming silvery atoms suggest the _nebulæ_ of this submarine
sky. Deeper yet, the bottom shows weird splendors. The great kelps are
bedecked with mystic lights, and gleam like diamond’s flash from ledge
and rock.
These wonderful exhibitions of submarine illumination are due to the
presence of luminous creatures, or in some cases to large animals
swimming through immense numbers of small phosphorescent bodies, so
appearing as light-givers themselves.
In nearly every branch of the animal kingdom we shall find these
_living lights_; some marvellously brilliant, others glowing with dim
rays, and all contributing often to wondrous illumination, far-reaching
or circumscribed.
[Illustration:
PLATE I.
LUMINOUS PROTOZOANS.
_Noctilucæ_
(in milk).
_Noctiluca miliaris_
(magnified 100 diameters).
_N. miliaris_
(slightly magnified).
LUMINOUS PORTION OF NOCTILUCA
(highly magnified).]
If the ocean which contains these wondrous forms should suddenly become
dry, we should find that its contour is very similar to that of the
land. There would be hills, valleys, plains, mountains, and seeming
river-beds where currents have flowed; and so sharply are these
defined, where growing atolls and reefs abound, one may stand--as I
have often done upon those of the Florida reef--and drop a leaded line
almost directly to the bottom in the clear blue waters.
This submarine scenery would not show the rough and jagged outlines
which are a characteristic of terrestrial mountain ranges. Nearly all
prominences in water at a considerable depth are well rounded off by a
coating of fine ooze, formed of the minute and delicate shells of the
_globerigina_, one of the lowest organized of animal life. These
little creatures live upon the bottom, or in the watery space above,
and the ooze which makes the sea-bottom, in great thickness, is almost
entirely made up of the dead and cast-off shells of these microscopical
creatures. The chalk cliff of Dover, England,--that white headland
which has given the ancient name of Albion to the mother country,--is
an upheaved mass of the same material, once found in the ocean bottom,
now elevated by some geological change, and hardened into chalk, which
it really is. What a surprising monument, erected by Nature’s processes
from the myriads of bodies of her most minute and most simply organized
animals!
The familiar modern term “protoplasm” represents what is know to be the
simplest form of life; scarcely more, seemingly, than a bit of jelly,
without form, and we might say void of organization, for it is alive,
and yet has no nerves, no organized vessels which we can perceive, but
exists in our pools as the least organized animal known.
There is a species which belongs to one of the numerous kinds or groups
of this the first and least perfect of the animal kingdom, which has
also the great distinction of being the best known and most brilliant
of marine light-bearers. This is the _Noctiluca_, or, as its name
implies, the night-light. This little creature, but little more than
visible to the naked eye, is the largest of the so-called infusorians;
others of this group of animals requiring the aid of a microscope to
determine the form. It is but little more in structure than the bit
of protoplasm, or simplest organism or animal known. It looks when
magnified--its natural size being about that of a pin’s head--much more
highly organized than the others, by being almost a complete globe,
and provided with a whip-like process or member. It is also veined
somewhat, and reminds one of a currant or gooseberry. Now, it is often
noticed that the smaller the animal, the more numerous; indeed, also,
the more numerous its progeny. We may well be prepared, then, to hear
that these minute creatures often swarm on the ocean surface in myriad
masses.
Fig. 1. of Plate I. represents the _Noctiluca_ magnified one hundred
times. Fig. 2. of the same, represents the appearance of the creature
when luminous, and only slightly magnified. The long lash which extends
from the side is the locomotive organ. It is attached to the body near
what is supposed to be the mouth; though these creatures are so simple
that many kinds, just below in organization, have no definite mouth nor
stomach, but absorb food from any surface of the body which comes in
contact with it.
This infusorian and most potent of living lights, albeit of extreme
minuteness and simplicity as an organism, is abundant in the ocean
along the European shores, and is often seen in our north-eastern
waters, notably off Portland harbor and along shore to Cape Ann. I have
enjoyed the privilege of witnessing the fullest glory of this little
creature’s effulgence. In our so-styled ocean firmament these living
asteroids shine forth in those waters, and rival, if not excel, in
light-giving any other known creature.
In the endeavor to study the mysterious lights, I spent considerable
time on a rocky point which jutted out into the sea, at Ogunquit, Me.,
with my microscope at hand, as near as possible to the water; thus
examining them while comparatively fresh from the sea. In taking up
the little creatures, they assume a pear shape, from contraction,--the
only evidence, seemingly, of life, but blazing with a flashing light
over their entire surface. We had the advantage of having specimens
fresh at hand, yet there are certain appliances indispensable for such
work which we did not have, and, therefore, could not then perfect our
dissections sufficiently to get satisfactory results. We must refer the
reader, therefore, to the experiments detailed in the Appendix.[1]
In watching the light of the _Noctiluca_, we are reminded of the
flash-light of a light-house,--the gleam appearing and disappearing
with considerable regularity. It is difficult to trace the light to
any particular portion of the body. In Plate I., Fig. III., is shown
the supposed luminous organs, which would seem to show that there are
luminous spots. Sometimes the light seems to pervade the entire body;
again, to be in the outer skin or cuticle. When the light appears after
an intermission, the spots referred to become luminous first, the light
extending to the outer surface.
The conditions most favorable for respiration produce the greatest
exhibitions of light; thus, if the water is constantly aërated, or
disturbed so that the air has access, the gleam is intensified. If the
animal is touched with the point of a needle, the light is quickly
visible; and just before death it is continuously luminous, the
phosphorescence disappearing just after dissolution. Experiments have
shown that in a vacuum the light diminishes,--carbonic gas producing
the same result. Humboldt refers to his luminous appearance after
bathing in water abounding in _Noctilucæ_; and among the curious
experiments might be mentioned one where print was read by a gobletful
of these little creatures which rendered them living lamps, literally.
M. de Tessan, a French observer, has recorded a phenomenon, which, I
should judge, was due to _Noctilucæ_, with perhaps the additional
light of other forms. The accompanying picture on plate II. was made
from his description, showing the light, and people upon the shore
endeavoring to read by it. He writes: “On the 10th of April, in the
evening, the sea in the roadstead of Simonstown, Cape of Good Hope,
presented an extraordinary phosphorescence of a most vivid character.
At whatever points the phosphorescence was greatest, the water was
colored on the surface as red as blood; and it contained such an
immense quantity of little globules that it had the consistency of
sirup. A bucket of water taken up at one of these points, and filtered
through a piece of linen, left in the filter a mass of globules greater
in volume than the water that had passed through; in other words,
the globules constituted more than half of the whole quantity of sea
water taken up in the bucket. Viewed under the magnifying-glass, these
globules presented the appearance of little transparent and inflated
bladders, having on their surface a black point surrounded with equally
black radiating _striæ_.... The least agitation or slightest
contact made them throw out a vivid greenish light.”
[Illustration:
PLATE II.
M. DE TESSAN READING BY LIGHT OF PHOSPHORESCENT SEA.]
As the waves washed in, M. de Tessan describes the light as appearing
like the vivid flashes of lightning. “It lighted up the chamber that
I and my companions occupied in the house of Mr. Ball, though it was
situated more than fifty yards distant from the breakers. I even
attempted to write by the light, but the flashes were of too short
duration.”
When a vessel is ploughing through masses of these animals, the effect
is extremely brilliant. An American captain states that when his ship
traversed a zone of these animals in the Indian Ocean, nearly thirty
miles in extent, the light emitted by these myriads of fire-bodies, of
which he estimated there were thirty thousand in a cubic foot of water,
eclipsed the brightest stars; the milky way was but dimly seen; and
as far as the eye could reach the water presented the appearance of a
vast, gleaming sea of molten metal, of purest white. The sails, masts,
and rigging cast weird shadows all about; flames sprang from the bow
as the ship surged along, and great waves of living light spread out
ahead,--a fascinating and appalling sight.
The enormous quantity of _Noctilucæ_ in the water explains the
intensity of the light. In experiments made at Bologne, one-seventh to
one-half of a given amount of water taken up consisted of these minute
light-givers, and Rymer Jones found thirty thousand in a cubic foot.
According to Quatrefages, the light of _Noctilucæ_ in full vigor is a
clear blue; but, if the water is agitated, it becomes nearly, if not
quite white, producing rich silvery gleams sprinkled with greenish and
bluish spangles.
Regarding the intensity of the light, a tube fifteen millimetres
in diameter, containing a bed of _Noctilucæ_ at the surface twenty
millimetres thick, emitted light sufficient to see the face of a watch
and read the figures; and, if the little creatures were agitated, time
could be ascertained at a distance of a foot. M. Quatrefages found that
the most delicate thermometer was not affected by the light; and he
assumes that it is not combustion from the fact that oxygen gas, when
introduced, does not restore the light after it has disappeared at the
death of the animal. His conclusion is, that the light is produced by
the contracting of the interior mass of the body; and that the flashes,
or scintillations, are due to the rupture and rapid contraction of the
filaments of the interior. The fixed light he explains as resulting
from the permanent contraction of the contractile tissues adhering to
the inner surfaces of the general envelope. Giglioli is especially
enthusiastic over the light of the _Noctilucæ_ and other forms; and
to show its general distribution he says that in fifty-five thousand
marine miles traversed by the “Magenta,” the Italian exploring-ship,
in four hundred and thirty-nine days, phosphorescence was observed
more than half of the time. He met _Noctilucæ_ in the Bay of Naples,
at Rio, in the Straits of Banca, while in the east coast of Asia; and
at Port Jackson “the same milky uniform light was seen, without any
green or bluish tint,” and again at Valparaiso. He observed, including
_Noctiluca miliaris_, three luminous forms, all differing in the color
of their light. The one observed on the Asiatic coast emitted a green
light, and is called by M. Giglioli, _N. homogenea_. The Pacific form,
_N. pacifica_, has a whitish luminosity, and differs from the others
materially in form and structure.
In many of the ports of tropical and semi-tropical America, it is
the custom to bathe in the ocean at night, the warmth of the water
rendering such recreation enjoyable. A gentleman newly arrived at one
of the places on the Pacific coast proceeded at night to take a bath,
and, upon rising from the water, was astonished and amazed to find
that his entire body was luminous, seeming covered with a coating of
light, which he found originated from innumerable minute phosphorescent
animals, which clung to his garments, and changed the water all about
to a golden hue.
A distinguished professor at Keil was, perhaps, the first to discover
luminous microscopic animals.[2]
The largest of these minute creatures is about one-eighth of a line,
the smallest from a forty-eighth to a ninety-sixth of a line in size.
Giglioli has made some interesting observations regarding the
phosphorescence of the lowest class of animal life, the protozoans,
and with his colleague, Professor de Fillipi, intends publishing the
results of their observations.[3]