Microscopic Forms in Dust-showers and Blood-rain. 29 



The surface of Italy is about 90,000 square miles ; that of 

 Sicily 10,000 square miles, making together 100,000. A 

 single dust-shower, covering both countries like that of 1803, 

 to the extent of that of Lyons in 1846, would deposit 112,800 

 cwt. of dust in a single day. With such facts before us, 

 Ehrenberg asks, how many thousand millions of hundred- 

 weight of microscopic organisms have reached the earth 

 since the period of Homer, the time of our earliest record of 

 such events 1 He adds, *' I cannot longer doubt, that there 

 are relations according to which living organisms may de- 

 velope themselves in the atmosphere ;" and he speaks of this 

 as a self-development and not a production from introduced 

 ova. He supposes it probable that the atmospheric dust- 

 cloud region is of vast extent, and is above a height of 

 14,000 feet. The facts may seem inexplicable on any other 

 hypothesis ; yet much more investigation will be required 

 before an opinion so contrary to received principles can be 

 generally adopted. 



Showers of Blood. 



The work proceeds with a historical relation of all showers 

 of dust, blood-rain, red snow, and similar phenomena, from 

 the earliest records to the present time. This history occu- 

 pies 100 pages of the volume. 



The first instance adduced dates about 1500 years before 

 the present era. It is the plague of blood inflicted upon the 

 Egyptians, as related in the Mosaic history, which prevailed 

 throughout the whole land of Egypt, continuing three days 

 and three nights. 



The second occurred about 1181 B.C., the time of ^neas 

 and Dido, as related by Virgil, ^neid iv., 454 : — 



*' Horrendum dictu, latices nigrescere sacros. 



Visaque in obsccenum se vetere vina cruorem." 



The third, about 950 B.C., as described by Homer, Ilias xi., 

 V. 52, 54, and also Ilias xvi., v. 459, 460. 



The fourth, about 910 B.C., is the instance of bloody waters 

 mentioned in connection with the victory over the Moabites 

 in 2 Kings iii., v. 21, 22, 23. 



Ehrenberg mentions then the rain of blood in the time of 



