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Q. What is foxfire? I was reading “Search the Dark” by Charles Todd and found a reference to that.
A. Here’s the quote from Todd’s mystery: “They’ve vanished, then, Rutledge thought. Like foxfire, the nearer you come, the farther it appears to be.”
Our NoveList database offers this information on the series: “Charles Todd — pen name for American mother-son team Caroline and Charles Todd — began writing with a post-World War I mystery series featuring shell-shocked Ian Rutledge, an upper-class Scotland Yard detective whose envious superior keeps trying to get rid of him. The vividly described settings around Britain, interesting secondary characters, and slowly revealed solutions enhance the fascinating character of Rutledge, who is tormented by the voice of Hamish, a sergeant he was forced to execute during the war.”
All that is neither here nor there in terms of pinning down the meaning of foxfire. It’s time to pull out the dictionary, in this case, the big “American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language” sitting on the reference desk.
Here’s their definition: “A phosphorescent glow produced by certain bioluminescent fungi that grow on rotting wood.”
“The Gale Encyclopedia of Science” offers a longer article. Here are a few excerpts: “Bioluminescent organisms in the terrestrial environment include species of fungi and insects. The most familiar of these is the firefly which can often be seen glowing during the warm summer months. In some instances, organisms use bioluminescence to communicate, such as in fireflies, which use light to attract members of the opposite sex.
“Marine environments support a number of bioluminescence organisms including species of bacteria, dinoflagellates, jellyfish, coral, shrimp and fish. Many multicellular marine organisms have specialized light emitting organs that project light in a particular direction or convey a unique shape to the light.
The anglerfish has a light-emitting organ that projects from its head which serves as bait to attract smaller prey fish. The light emitted from this organ in the anglerfish is actually produced by bacteria, living in a symbiotic relationship in which both the fish and bacteria profit from their shared existence.
“Certain reef fish use light produced from organs under their eyes to illuminate the interior of crevices and caves. This not only helps the fish to navigate but also allows it to locate prey.
“Organisms that are unpalatable or dangerous, such as jellyfish, use bioluminescence as a signal to warn off attacks by predators.”
This article also explains the related chemical process involving luciferin and luciferase. I decided to spare you the details. Of course, I’d be happy to pull that volume for you if you stop by. I can also scan the complete article and email it to you. Our email address is [email protected].
