354 INSECT TRANSFORMATIONS. 



incomprehensible power in white snow of producing 

 a colour.* 



Reaumur says, with much justice, on another oc- 

 casion, that an ordinary spectator frequently discovers 

 what has escaped the notice of the best observers, 

 and so it should seem it has happened in the present 

 case, — the learned naturalists just mentioned having 

 gone as wide of the facts as the philosophers at Aix 

 in accounting for the supposed shower of blood. 

 Mr. Thomas Nicholson, accompanied with two other 

 gentlemen, made an excursion the 24th July, 1821, 

 to Sowallick Point, near Bushman's Island, in Prince 

 Regent's Bay, in quest of meteoric iron. " The 

 summit of the hill," he says, " forming the point, is 

 covered with huge masses of granite, whilst the side, 

 which forms a gentle declivity towards the bay, was 

 covered with crimson snow. It was evident, at first 

 view, that this colour was imparted to the snow by a 

 substance lying on the surface. This substance lay 

 scattered here and there in small masses, bearing 

 some resemblance to powdered cochineal, surrounded 

 by a lighter shade, which was produced by the colour- 

 ing matter being partly dissolved and diffused by the 

 deliquescent snow. During this examination our hats 

 and upper garments were observed to be daubed with 

 a substance of a similar red colour, and a moment's 

 reflection convinced us that this was the excrement 

 of the little auk {Uria alle, Temminck), myriads 

 of which were continually flying over our heads, hav- 

 ing their nests among the loose masses of granite. 

 A ready explanation of the origin of the red snow 

 was now presented to us, and not a doubt remained 

 in the mind of any that this was the correct one. 

 The snow on the mountains of higher elevation than 

 the nests of these birds was perfectly white, and a 

 ravine at a short distance, which was filletl with snow 

 * Loudon's Encycl. of Plants, Protococtus. 



