LUMINOSITY. 385 



(June 10, 1858) this evening, a little before 9 o'clock, 

 a very curious phenomenon. There are three scarlet 

 verbenas, each about nine inches high, and about 

 a foot apart, planted in front of the greenhouse. As 

 I was standing a few yards from them and looking 

 at them, my attention was arrested by faint flashes 

 of light passing backwards and forwards from one 

 plant to the other. I immediately called the gar- 

 dener and several members of my family, who all 

 witnessed the extraordinary sight, which lasted for 

 about a quarter of an hour, gradually becoming 

 fainter, till at last it ceased altogether. There was 

 a smoky appearance after each flash, which we all 

 particularly remarked. The ground under the plants 

 was very dry, the air was sultry and seemed charged 

 with electricity. The flashes had the exact appear- 

 ance of summer lightning in miniature. This was 

 the first time I had seen anything of the kind, and 

 having never heard of such appearances, I could 

 hardly believe my eyes. Afterwards, however, when 

 the day had been hot and the ground was dry, the 

 same phenomenon was constantly observed at about 

 sunset, and equally on the scarlet geraniums and 

 verbenas. In 1859 it was again seen. On Sunday 

 evening, July loth of that year, my children came 

 running in to say that the " lightning " was again 

 playing on the flowers. We all saw it, and again, on 

 July nth, I thought that the flashes of light were 

 2 c 



