30 Dv C. G. Ehrenberg on the Infusoria and other 



Romulus, as related by Livy, and goes on with other ac- 

 counts of subsequent date, with regard to which the infor- 

 mation is not of as doubtful character as with those just 

 alluded to. 



A supplemental chapter contains a notice of meteoric 

 dust showers since 1846. One on the 31st March 1847, 

 in the valley of Gastein, in Salzburg; another in Arabia, 

 January 24, 1848 ; another in Silesia and Lower Austria, 

 January 31, 1848. The showers afforded similar fresh water 

 and continental forms, with the same South American spe- 

 cies before-mentioned, and no characteristic African form. 

 Other showers occurred in 1849. In March there was a 

 reddish dust fell at Catania in Sicily, during a south wind. 

 On the 14th April, during a hail storm in Ireland, there 

 was a black inky deposit, affording numerous microscopic 

 organisms. 



The number of showers which Ehrenbero: records is in all 

 340, 81 before Christ and 249 after Christ. Ehrenberg re- 

 marks that these showers appear to prevail mos>fc within a zone 

 extending from the part of the Atlantic off the west coast of 

 Middle and North Africa, along in the direction of the Medi- 

 terranean Sea, reaching a short distance north of this sea, and 

 continued into Asia between the Caspian Sea and the Persian 

 Gulf, perhaps to Turkistan, Kaschgar, and China ; and they 

 seldom reach north to Sweden and Russia. This zone, accord- 

 ing to the observations of Tuckey, has a breadth of 1800 

 miles in the north torrid zone. The reddish colour of the 

 dust, as well as the organic forms, shew that the dust is not 

 of African origin. Moreover, the storm winds and sirocco 

 are found to afford the same species of organisms. 

 • Ehrenberg repeats again his opinion that these phenomena 

 are not to be traced to mineral materials from the earth's 

 surface, nor to revolving masses of dust material in space, 

 nor to atmospheric currents simply ; but to some general 

 law connected with the earth's atmosphere, according to 

 which there is a self-development within it of living organ- 

 isms. 



The whole number of species of organisms observed is 320. 

 Of marine genera there are only the following : Coscinodis- 

 cus, Diploneis, Goniothecium, Grammatophora, and Biddul- 



