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Referee Comments: Referee 2

Posted by PLOS_ONE_Group on 19 May 2008 at 18:43 GMT

Referee 2's Review:

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N.B. These are the comments made by the referee when reviewing an earlier version of this paper. Prior to publication, the manuscript has been revised in light of these comments and to address other editorial requirements.
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The authors have examined the polarization response of the specie Gonodactylus Smithii by removing the critter's eyes, hooking them up to a electric meter, and flashing different sorts of light at them. The responses to these stimulii indicate that the vision system is capable to sensing a variety of polarizations of light, including circular polarization. *From the perspective of an optical physicist* this work appears completely sound. The only critique I have to offer is to suggest that, since the target readership may not necessarily be attuned to the subtleties of optical polarization, Stokes's original paper is not the most accessible reference: Maybe a reference to an undergraduate textbook (e.g. Hecht, Born and Wolf etc.) might be a good idea.