Page:Hardwicke's Science-Gossip - Volume 1.pdf/261

If the Volvox be broken up by pressing it tightly between glasses, its outer membrane is resolved into a number of small cells, each crowned with a bunch of hairs, and each capable of spontaneous motion in the water. Naturalists are not yet agreed whether this beautiful creature is an animal or a plant; most, I think, are inclined to place it in the animal kingdom, though its powers of motion do not necessarily exclude it from the vegetable kingdom, as it is well known that certain parts of many undoubted plants are capable of moving spontaneously.

The strange circumstance that I witnessed, and am about to describe, is not, perhaps, the way, but one of the ways, in which the Volvox gives birth to its young, if it be an animal, or is propagated, if it be a plant.

I had under the microscope a drop of pond-water containing a Volvox, apparently so ripe, that eight smaller Volvoces within seemed to fill it almost to bursting. Whilst I was looking at it, two Rotifers, one larger than the other, came across the field of view, swimming so closely together, that they looked just as if they were arm in arm. Presently the Volvox attracted their attention; so they came close up, and began swimming round and round it, always keeping their heads towards it, touching it every now and then, and then rebounding from it. After a short time the smaller Rotifer went away, and then the other, after hovering about for a little while, attacked the Volvox in good earnest. He fixed on one side, and continued peeking at it, as it were, with great rapidity and perseverance, till in about ten minutes he had succeeded in making a small lacerated opening in the external membrane. I, of course, thought the Rotifer was making a meal of the Volvox, as perhaps, in the first instance, he was; but, to my great astonishment, he now suddenly changed the nature of his labours, and began swimming round and round the object of his attention, constantly butting against it, and rebounding from it, till, in about the space of ten minutes more, he had, by means of the butting process, so compressed the side opposite to where he had made the opening, that one of the internal balls was forced out into the water.

Still the Rotifer continued his labours, and in a little while a second ball was excluded. After a time another escaped, and then a fourth; the Rotifer, all the while working in precisely the same manner. These last took a longer time in being expelled than the first, for the Volvox being partially emptied, greater external pressure was required.

Having thus helped four young Volvoces into the world, the Rotifer seemed to think he could be of no further use, and went away. And now the remaining four balls, having plenty of room, rolled about inside the parent, and when they chanced to come close to the opening, rolled out into the open water. Thus three more escaped; but the last I never saw expelled, though I watched for several hours.

I have never been able to make further observations on what I have thought a very curious subject. If the facts that I have described were not the result of a chance action, but are such as often take place, then the amount of instinct displayed in creatures as low in the scale of creation as these animalcules, is truly wonderful, and quite on a par with many facts that we observe to take place in the habits of animals that we think to be far above them in intelligence.

But what about them is not wonderful? Their forms—their minuteness—their life; and the same Hand that bestowed these attributes upon the smallest of His creatures, could certainly as readily give them instincts to perform the duties of life that He has destined them to fulfil.

On Sunday evening last (October 8th) I had an opportunity of witnessing this singular and beautiful phenomenon on a very extensive scale at Hastings. Sitting at the window, I saw the whole surface of the water near the shore covered with large patches of brilliant light. At first I thought it was the reflection of the moon, the whole of the sky within view was covered with dark and threatening rain-clouds. Flashes of lightning, at first at rare intervals, afterwards nearly continuously, seemed not to alter the position of the patches of light, but to turn them from the liquid fire (which they looked like in the twilight) to dead silver. I then came to the conclusion that it must be phosphorescence, and sallied out to learn what I could from some of the boatmen or coastguardsmen. I found, however, that they were far from lucid, or agreed on the point. One had seen it "once before this year;" another "did not recollect seeing it before at Hastings;" another had seen it "very often." They all agreed, however, in the expression, "The water burns." Failing in getting any satisfactory information out of my nautical friends, I took to speculation, and attributed the appearance to the decomposing animal and vegetable refuse which is thrown on the shore. I had, however, to give up this hypothesis, for the tide was coming in very strongly, and, to my surprise, I found that the luminous appearance, instead of coming nearer, as it would have done had it originated as I supposed, went farther out to sea, and, on looking through a glass, I found the whole surface, as far as the eye could range, covered more or less with large spots of light. I then gave up guessing, and determined as soon as I arrived in London to consult the