om the Throat, and such places, as seem'd a little broken in the
boyling.

I took a piece that shin'd most, and fitted it as well as I could devise in
the night, both to my great _Microscope_, and afterwards to my little one;
but I could discern no light by any of these Glasses; nor from any drops of
the shining water, when put into the Glasses. And _May_ 10. in the
brightest rayes of the Sun, I examin'd, in my great _Microscope_, a small
broken piece of the Fish, which shin'd most the night before. We could find
nothing on the surface of the Fish very remarkable. It seem'd whitish, and
in a manner dried, with deep inequalities. And others, as well as my self,
thought, we saw a stream, rather darkish, than luminous, arising like a
very small dust from the Fish: And rarely here and there, a very small; and
almost imperceptible sparkle in the Fish. Yet of these _sparkles_ we are
_certain_; we numbered them, and agreed in the number, order and place. Of
the _steam_ I am not confident, but do suspect our Eyes in the {228} bright
Sun, or that it might be some dust in the Aire.

The great _Microscope_ being fitted in the day-light for this piece of
Fish, we examin'd it that night, and it yielded no light at all, either by
the view of the Glass, or otherwise.

Finding it dry, I thought that the moisture of Spittle, and touching of it,
might cause it to shine: and so it did, though but a very little, in a few
small sparks, which soon extinguish'd. This we saw with the bare eye; not
in the Glass.

The Fish were not yet fetide, nor insipid to the best discerning palats:
And I caused two Fish to be kept for further Tryal, two or three days
longer, till they were fetide in very hot weather; and then I expected more
brightness, but could find none, either in the water, by stirring it, or in
the Fish, taken out of the water.

And some Trials I made afterwards with other boyl'd Mackrels (as is above
said) with like pickle, but failed of the like success.

This season serves for many Trials in this kind, and by better
_Microscopes_, or better ordered. And in these Vulgarities we may perhaps
as well trace out the cause and nature of Light, as in Jewels of greatest
value, &c.

* * * * *

_Some Considerations touching a Letter in the _Journal des Scavans_ of _May
24. 1666_._

In _Num._ 9. of these _Transactions_ were publish'd the _Schemes_ and
_Descriptions_ of certain Ways of _Sounding the Depth