New experiments, and observations, made upon the icy noctiluca imparted in a letter to a friend living in the country : to which is annexed A chymical paradox / by Robert Boyle.

Observation VI.

After having poured out some more of the Liquor and Sediment that had been kept in the great Phial, former∣ly mentioned, into a smaller Phial, to make a Present of it to a Virtuoso, the remaining Matter, having now a greater proportion of Air included with it, was very apt to be put in∣to a Luminous agitation, if I may so call it, and would emit Exhala∣tions, that would not only fill the Cavity of the Glass, but manifestly move to and fro in it after a some∣what odd manner. And being one Night willing to give a Lady, and some other Company, the divertise∣ment of a new Phenomenon, after ha∣ving opened the Phial, and then ha∣ving stopt it again, I shook it, and turned it in such a way, that much the greatest part of Liquor having been before poured out, the resi∣dence was as it were spread over the inside of the Glass, to which its Par∣ticles

stuck, because there wanted Li∣quor enough to wash them down: By which means, those little portions of the Sediment being not covered, as they were wont to be with Water, but exposed to the immediate Contact of the Air, shone much more vivid∣ly than the Luminous Exhalations were wont to do, and the light be∣ing tremulous and twinkling, as well as brisk, they seemed to emulate so many little Stars in a Cloudless but dark Night, and continued this Scin∣tillation longer than one would have expected, to the no small delight of the beholders, for whose sake the Ex∣periment was several times repeated with success.