medusæ are very abundant, the water is described by Mr. Scoresby as of nearly a grass-green colour, with a shade of black. The number of the medusa in the green water was found to be immense, Mr. Scoresby having calculated that a cubic foot of water would contain 110,592 individuals. It is in this olive-green water that the northern clio, which forms the principal food of the whale, is chiefly found; it is therefore supposed, that the medusa are preyed on by the clio, itself destined to become the prey of the whale. And here, accordingly, does the great enemy of the latter,-the whalefisher, seek for his prize; and thus the whale, whilst pursuing his prey, falls a prey to the rapacity of man.

In other parts, the ocean is of a brown colour, which also appears to be due to the presence of innumerable minute animals; and to a similar cause is attributable the milkywhite hue which prevails in some localities. The latter was observed in a remarkable degree by Captain Tuckey, off Cape Palmas, on the coast of Guinea, where the vessel appeared to float in milk. On examination of the water, this white appearance was found to proceed from multitudes of minute animals floating on the surface, which concealed the natural hue of the water. Off the coast of Brazil, the waters of the sea have been observed to present a deep red hue, which is supposed to arise from the occurrence of minute molluscous animals, which float in countless myriads in that part of the ocean; and it is more than probable that the Vermillion sea, near California, has derived its name from a similar cause.

The phosphorescence, or luminosity of the ocean, is by no means an uncommon, though a very remarkable phenomenon. The luminous appearances thus exhibited on the surface of the sea are very varied. Sometimes a vessel, whilst traversing the ocean, seems to mark out a track of fire, and (if oars be used) each stroke of the oar causes the emission of light, sometimes brilliant and sparkling, and sometimes tranquil and pearly. Sometimes, again, innumerable points glitter over the whole surface of the ocean, whilst at other times, a broad sheet of light extends in all directions; and this, perhaps, may then suddenly break up into a thousand parts, in which an active imagination may conjure up every form and figure. Different causes have been assigned for this phenomenon; but it would appear that although in all probability it occasionally originates in the phosphorescence of decaying organised substances diffused in the waters of the sea, yet the most usual cause of the luminosity of the ocean is the presence of vast numbers of living creatures, which possess the power of emitting light.

With regard to the former class of luminous appearancesthat produced by the phosphorescence of decaying organised

substances-it is well known that rotten wood and some kinds of peat earth, as also various animal substances, soon after they are deprived of life, possess the power of emitting spontaneous light. Such appears to be the case more especially with most marine fishes; and, according to a series of experiments made some years since by Dr. Hulme, chiefly with herrings and mackerel, it seems that these fish not only exhibit this lucid appearance themselves shortly after life is extinct, but that they have the power of imparting it to certain solutions in which they may be immersed, and that these solutions actually attain this power of emitting spontaneous light for some time. Thus, Dr. Hulme found that solutions of sea salt, of Epsom salt, &c., when impregnated with some of the lucific matter scraped from herrings and mackerel, retained the light for several days, which was more especially exhibited when the phial in which they were contained was agitated. The phenomena thus displayed are described by Dr. Hulme as not less surprising than beautiful; for he was enabled to take light from one substance and transfer it to another, so as to render the latter most brilliantly luminous. This luminous matter was obtained in greatest abundance from fish shortly after life had become extinct, and before putrefaction had commenced. These interesting experiments might lead us to conclude that in some instances the luminous appearances exhibited on the surface of the ocean, may arise from the light emitted by marine fishes after life has become extinct, and which is probably removed by friction from the decaying body of the animal, either by the action of a vessel passing through the water, or that of an oar, (to which it may occasionally adhere), or else by the agitation of the waves, which thus becoming impregnated with this luminous matter appear luminous themselves.

The second class of luminous appearances on the surface of the ocean, namely, that produced by living animals, is a yet more remarkable phenomenon than the preceding. The power of emitting spontaneous light appears to be possessed by several inhabitants of the ocean, among which we meet with some crustaceous animals, though the greater number belong to the radiated animals. The most remarkable of the former is the cancer fulgens, which in some degree resembles a shrimp in form. The whole body of this creature sometimes appears illuminated, emitting very brilliant scintillations of white light. It is to the cancer fulgens, and other nearly similar species of crustaceous animals, that, as we have just seen, Captain Tuckey attributed the white hue of the sea in the Gulf of Guinea. One species, however, when examined in the microscope, presented rather different phenomena from those above described, for the luminous property appeared to be confined to the head

of the animal; the luminous point, when the little creature was at rest, resembled a most brilliant amethyst, but when it moved, flashes of bright silvery light darted from this spot. . . Such being some of the phenomena presented by the various bodies, whether living, or after life is extinct, to which the luminosity of the ocean seems to be attributable, it will be readily supposed, that where these creatures occur in great abundance, the appearances they exhibit are sometimes very imposing and splendid. The phenomenon is displayed in greater lustre in warm climates, but is by no means confined to those regions, being frequently witnessed off our own shores; and Professor Trail mentions that he met with luminous animals belonging to the genera medusa and beroe, in the North Atlantic Ocean, between the thirty-seventh and sixtieth parallels of latitude; and, on one occasion, so brilliant was the luminous appearance of the ocean, that the professor could by this light distinguish letters in a book and also discern the hour on a watch, although in other situations on the deck of the vessel it was so dark, that the features of the seamen could not be distinguished. When the hand was immersed in the luminous water, the shining particles were found adhering to the fingers, and the water was almost invariably observed to contain animals of the genera medusa and beroe.

M. de Tessan observed in False Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope, a remarkable instance of this phenomenon which appeared to be due to the presence of an innumerable quantity of small, hard, spherical bodies, which were in such abundance, that the water was quite thickened by them. On agitating the water with the hand, a slight crackling sound was heard, as when snow is pressed. Some of this water, when strained through a cloth, left half its bulk of these minute animals. The water which had been strained had lost its luminous properties, but the remaining animal matter possessed it in a high degree. Dr. Buchanan, speaking of this phenomenon as witnessed off the coast of Africa, states, that' soon after dark in the evening, it being nearly calm, we saw numerous lights at a distance, like the lamps of a great city. The lights gradually approached the frigate, and on reaching us, appeared to arise from the circumstance of a great many large fishes in the water, which agitated the animalcules, so as to excite their luminous powers.' Mr. Bennett's observations led him to the conclusion that there are two kinds of luminous appearances presented at the surface of the ocean, the one being produced by various species of medusæ, whilst the other exhibits no indication of the presence of living animals, and which, therefore, may be considered as originating in light emitted from the bodies of decaying marine animals. He observed that the former usually presented the appearance

of sheets or trains of whitish or greenish light, often sufficiently brilliant to illuminate the vessel as it passed through the water; whilst in the latter instance, the surface of the sea appeared studded with scintillations of light of the most vivid description, more particularly when the waves were broken by the violence of the wind, or by the passage of the vessel through the water. Sometimes within the tropics during heavy rains, Mr. Bennett observed that the sea would suddenly become luminous, and the light would as suddenly pass off again; the effect of these rapid transitions being exceedingly splendid and striking to the beholders.

CIRCULATING DECIMALS.

Express as decimal fractions

5

3

70

(1) ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Express as vulgar fractions

(2) 3; 7; 07; 6·024; ·135; 583; 592; 057; ·12436. Find the sum correct to six places of decimals of

(3) 14.6, 5·07, 6370, 375, 89.425.

(4) 057, 6·93, 76.294. (5) 478, 6·93, 001, 4·09, 1, 0038. (6) 43.597, 96-2, ·4073. Find the difference (correct to seven places of decimals) between— (7) 19378 and 16 · 70·8095900 and 7·72; 61-297 and 4·75.

THE BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN.

ex-pert', skilful

1314.

(From Tales of a Grandfather,' by Sir Walter Scott.)

strat'-a-gem, a trick

ter'-mi-na-ted, ended is'-sue, result, end

van, the front of an army

val'-iant-ly, bravely

Chris'-ten-dom, all the nations professing ex-hort', to warn earnestly

Christianity

KING EDWARD II., therefore, assembled one of the greatest armies which a king of England ever commanded. There were troops brought from all his dominions. Many brave soldiers from the provinces which the king of England possessed in France,-many Irish, many Welsh,—and all the great English nobles and barons with their followers, were assembled in one great army. The number was not less than one hundred thousand men.

King Robert the Bruce summoned all his nobles and barons to join him, when he heard of the great preparation which the King of England was making. They were not so numerous as the English by many thousand men. In fact, his whole army did not very much exceed thirty thousand, and they were

much worse armed than the wealthy Englishmen; but then, Robert, who was at their head, was one of the most expert generals of the time; and the officers he had under him, were his brother Edward, his nephew Randolph, his faithful follower the Douglas, and other brave and experienced leaders, who commanded the same men that had been accustomed to fight and gain victories under every disadvantage of situation and numbers. The king, on his part, studied how he might supply by address and stratagem, what he wanted in numbers and strength. He knew the superiority of the English, both in their heavy armed cavalry, which were much better mounted and armed than that of the Scots, and in their archers, who were better trained than any others in the world. Both these advantages he resolved to provide against. With this purpose, he led his army down into a plain near Stirling, called the Park, near which, and beneath it, the English army must needs pass through a boggy country, broken with water-courses, while the Scots occupied hard dry ground. He then caused all the ground upon the front of his line of battle, where cavalry were likely to act, to be dug full of holes about as deep as a man's knee. They were filled with light brushwood, and the turf was laid on the top, so that it appeared a plain field, while in reality it was as full of these pits as a honeycomb is of holes. He also, it is said, caused steel spikes, called calthrops, to be scattered up and down in the plain, where the English cavalry were most likely to advance, trusting in that manner to lame and destroy their horses.

When the Scottish army was drawn up, the line stretched north and south. On the south it was terminated by the banks of the brook called Bannockburn, which was so rocky, that no troops could attack them there. On the left, the Scottish line extended near to the town of Stirling. Bruce reviewed his troops very carefully; all the useless servants, drivers of carts, and such like, of whom there were very many, he ordered to go behind a height, afterwards in memory of the event, called the Gillies' Hill-that is, the Servants' Hill. He then spoke to the soldiers, and expressed his determination to gain the victory, or to lose his life on the field of battle. He desired that all those who did not propose to fight to the last, should leave the field before the battle began; and that none should remain except those who were determined to take the issue of victory or death, as God should send it.

When the main body of his army was thus placed in order, the king posted Randolph, with a body of horse, near to the church of St. Ninian's, commanding him to use the utmost diligence to prevent any succours from being thrown into Stirling castle. He then despatched James of Douglas, and Sir Robert