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him to walk out and see the wonder. He took up some of the 

 worms and said, " they are real loorms^ and alive, for they coil 

 up in my hand." This gentleman's testimony you can have if 

 you wish. 



There were no trees near where I first saw the worms. The 

 ground was frozen hard. The snow was about four inches deep. 

 And as it was snowing at the time, they must have fallen there 

 or got there about the time I discovered them, otherwise they 

 would have been covered with the falling snow, for none of them 

 could move until taken into my hand. 



The first worms I saw were about half a mile from the moun- 

 tain for which Piermont was named, at least forty miles from 

 the White Mountains. 



I have never known or heard of a similar phenomenon. We 

 have, however, not unfrequently, by thousands, what we call the 

 snoio-fiy. It is an extremely small black fly, which we never 

 see except when there is considerable snow, and generally in 

 February or March. So numerous are they that they really 

 make the snow look as if coal dust had been scattered upon it. 



The wind was South when I saw the worms. 



Yours, with respect, J. S. Davis. 



Dr. Burnett stated that he had often observed the snow-fly in 

 great numbers during the month of February. They generally 

 appear in the vicinity of trees and bushes, from which they had 

 probably come forth. They are species of Lepisma antZ Podura. 

 With regard to the worms mentioned in the letter, he said he 

 knew of no species which hibernate. He thought from the 

 description of the letter, that they might be the wire worm, 

 which sometimes exists in immense numbers in the fields, doing 

 fatal injury to the grass. 



Dr. Durkee spoke of the snoiv-Jleas, which he had frequently 

 seen on the surface of snow. As to the fact of living creatures 

 being dropped from the clouds, he mentioned having seen a 

 small lizard drop from the eaves of a house during a shower, 

 which he had reason to believe had fallen with the rain. He 

 also said that he had often known earth worms to make their 

 appearance in unusual places, under circumstances making it 

 extremely probable that they had fallen in a similar manner. 



