386 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



The Entomological Division rendered an opinion that it was a 

 vegetable matter the silk of Asclepias, while the Botanical Di 

 vision, which had applied somechernical reagencies, considered it 

 rather animal substance. Owing to the smallness of the sample, 

 no further investigation was made, and the matter rested. 



On September 2Oth last there fell in Florida, in localities ten 

 or more miles apart, a similar substance in great quantities, of 

 which I herewith present a sample. 



The postmaster of Gainesville, Florida, writes as follows : " I 

 enclose you something which has created a great deal of curiosity 

 in our community ; it was first discovered late this afternoon 

 floating in the air or falling from the clouds. I have seen people, 

 who live at least ten miles apart, who tell the same story that it 

 sometimes falls in long strands like spider webs, two and three 

 thousand yards long, then doubled up into strands and wads. 

 One gentleman said a colored man gave him a bunch as big as 

 his hat, saying that his place was covered with it, and being ig 

 norant and superstitious he was very much frightened and said it 

 was an omen." 



Mr. J. O. Andrews, of the same place, states: " I herewith 

 hand you a small sample of a substance which fell in large quanti 

 ties here and at various points in this county on the afternoon of 

 last Tuesday, September 2Oth. There was first a light rainfall, 

 and during the rain the air appeared filled with this substance, 

 which, coming from apparently the southeast, floated gracefully 

 downward into the trees, on the window ledges, balconies, and 

 on the ground, in large quantities. Some of it looked like im 

 mense white spider-webs ; some had the appearance of being a 

 perfect piece of blotting-paper, and some looked like the en 

 closed." 



Mr. J. J. Thompson, of Arredondo, Florida (about ten miles 

 from Gainesville), also states : " For more than two weeks past a 

 white substance streaming in long thread-like cobweb has been 

 floating in the air when it was dry (if raining we don't know) 

 over a large territory, ten or fifteen miles square, and settling on 

 the weeds, cornstalks, and trees ; in some places large quantities 

 could be gathered great hand fills and more." 



The following letter, written by a correspondent from Gaines 

 ville, Fla., to our fellow-member, Judge L. C. Johnson, of Me 

 ridian, Miss., refers to the same phenomenon ; the letter is dated 

 September 21, 1892: 



fcfc Of all the curious things in nature the inclosed webs are 

 among the strangest. Yesterday great white sheets were seen 

 floating with the daily showers, resembling large, pure white 

 spider-webs, some of them fifty yards or more in length. The 

 trees in many places are covered. Near the small stream, about 

 100 vards from the house, some of it extended as an immense 



