Blood red Colour of Water. 127 



uniformly favour ihe extrication of butterflies. Though single 

 instances may belong to the class of atmospheric phenomena, it 

 is highly probable that others may be referred to the facts just 

 stated ; and, as regards the former, there must always be, from 

 a want of circumstantiality in the relation, a doubt whether they 

 happened without red atmospherical dust, and do not perhaps 

 belong to the fourth rubric. 



(c) Red snow and hail have been observed only in modern 

 times. The latter is unquestionably atmospherical, but 

 opinion is divided as to the former. They are not of a 

 blood colour, and may be easily referred to the fourth 

 rubric. 

 (J) Blood-jelly. 

 Me^ gelatinous matter, like coagulated blood, scattered on the 

 surface of the earth in spots or masses. 

 Four instances of this kind have been recorded. The blood- 

 rain at Balch, in 860 ; at Lucerne, in 1406 ; in Mannsfeld, in 

 1548; in Schlage, in Pomerania, in 1557. 



These cases were first observed some lime after they were 

 believed to have fallen from the atmosphere upon the earth ; 

 and it hence remains doubtful whether they were ever in the 

 atmosphere. Meteoric stones, indeed, suggest indications of 

 atmospherical formation, but these gelatinous masses point out 

 no indications of the kind. Indeed botanists themselves are at 

 variance with philosophers about the matter of shot-stars, which 

 is commonly colourless, and the Tremella meteorica, which 

 Meyen recently described as Actinomyce, may be readily taken 

 for a shot-star, if both are generally capable of being discrimi- 

 nated. It may be conceived that this is not necessary, and that 

 the meteoric mass might assume the organic and vegetable struc- 

 ture. To this it may be objected, that the specimens of Tremella 

 meteorica, are frequently found of different sizes, without it being 

 probable that they are remains of a shot-star, especially where 

 they are small, and, as is commonly the case, occur attached to 

 animal bodies, and even incorporated with them. It is therefore 

 improbable that it is sometimes formed terrestrially and some- 

 times meteorically, because the body exhibits too little charac- 

 teristic peculiarity to owe its origin to circumstances so very 



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