Natural History* '4^ 



they become apparently expended, the h'ghtni'nfl^ is seen to rise up 

 from the sea. The violence of the wind during the continuance 

 of the storm is excessive.'* — Jameson* s Journal 1823, p. 367, 



2. Destruction of an Oak by Lightning. — ^M. Muncke describes 

 a case in which an oak, being struck by lightning, was rent and 

 destroyed in an extraordinary manner. The trunk of the tree was 

 about fifteen feet in height, a foot and a half or two feet in diameter 

 at the branches, and three feet in diameter at the root. The top 

 of the tree was separated as if by the stroke of a hatchet, and with- 

 out any appearance of carbonization : the trunk was torn into a 

 thousand pieces, exceedingly small in size when compared with 

 the original mass, and thrown to a great distance. The division 

 and destruction was such as to sustain the thought, that in certain 

 cases the lightning might cause the entire dispersion of the tree, 

 an opinion which was suggested by the circumstance that lightning 

 which had fallen at Le Chateau de Marbourg left no traces of a 

 rafter that had occurred in its course. — Bull. Univ. A. viii. 194. 



3. Description of a Meteoric Fire-Ball seen at New Haven by 

 the Rev. S. E. Dwight. — The meteor appeared on Saturday evening, 

 March 21, 1813, a little before ten o'clock. The sky was much 

 overcast, but the covering thin, and the stars were in full view 

 towards the north where the meteor appeared. Dr. Dwight was 

 standing on a platform on the north side of the house looking 

 eastward, when the light first broke upon him, and for a moment 

 supposed it to be lightning, but was instantly induced by its conti- 

 nuance to look at the luminary. The following are the observations 

 luade at the time. 



i. The meteor was at first about 35° above the horizon, and, 

 judging from the course of a fence near at hand, its direction about 

 N. 20°. E. 



ii. Its figure nearly that of an ellipse, with the ends in a slight 

 degree sharpened or angular. 



iii. The length of its transverse diameter appeared to be about 

 equal to the apparent diameter of the moon when on the meridian, 

 and that of the conjugate about three fourths of the transverse. 



iv. The colour rather more yellow than that of the moon. 



V. A tail of light, ten or twelve degrees in lengtb, was formed 

 behind it ; broadest near the body ; decreasing in breadth very 

 slowly for about two-fifths of its length, after which it was uni- 

 form, and about as wide as the apparent diameter of Venus. 

 The direction of the tail was coincident with that of the transverse 

 diameter. 



vi. The ball was far more luminous than the tail, and the part 

 connected with the tail scarcely less distinct than the opposite part. 



vii. The light was such that all objects cast distinct shadows, 

 though less strongly marked than when the moon is full. 



viii. Numerous sparks continually issued from the ball of the 



