296 ROMANCE OF LOW LIFE AMONGST PLANTS. 



myriads of red Euglena, which had imparted the 

 colour. 



Professor Ehrenberg ^ has given an elaborate his- 

 torical account of the various reported instances of 

 blood-rain from the most remote times. The first 

 instance adduced dates about fifteen hundred before 

 the Christian Era. It is the plague of blood inflicted 

 upon the Egyptians, as related in the Mosaic history, 

 which prevailed through the whole land of Egypt, 

 continuing three days and three nights. The second 

 occurred about 1181 B.C., the time of yEneas and 

 Dido, as related by Virgil ("^neid," iv. 454) : — 



"Strange to relate ! for when, before the shrine 

 She pours in sacrifice the purple wine, 

 The purple wine is turned to putrid blood." * 



The third was about 950 B.C., as described by 

 Homer: — 



" Even Jove, whose thunder spoke his wrath, distill'd 

 Red drops of blood o'er all the fatal field." 



Iliad, xi. 53. 



And again — 



"Then touch'd with grief, the weeping heavens distill'd 

 c A shower of blood o'er all the fatal field." 



IHad, xvi. 459. 



The fourth dates about 910 B.C., and is the instance 

 of bloody waters mentioned in connection with the 

 victory over the Moabites (2 Kings iii. 21-23). 



He then mentions the rain of blood in the time of 



' C. G. Ehrenberg, " Passat-Staub und Blut-Regen." (Abhander 

 Akad, Berlin, 1847-1849.) 

 " This quotation is hardly so apropos as the others which follow. 



