A SHOWER OF FIBROUS SUBSTANCE — LAWSOX. 457 



Some months afterwards a full account of the " shower" was 

 published in the Scientific American, with the results of an 

 examination of the material, which corresponded entirely with 

 the above explanation, and another instance of spider's web 

 material falling- from the atmosphere (in California) was cited. 



Subsequent to the meeting at which the above communication 

 was read, Dr. A. P. Reid, Medical Superintendent of the Victoria 

 General Hospital, examined the material in question and reported 

 upon it as follows : — 



" On microscopic examination, I find it is made up of elastic 

 fibres having much the appearance of 'yellow elastic tissue.' 

 Each fibre is made up of a number of hbrillas, which, on 

 measurement of this ultimate fibril, I find it to be 0"0018 mm., 

 or about 000072 of an inch (j^";,^). The fibrils are even and con- 

 tinuous and structureless. They often run in pairs perfectly 

 parallel with each other, so much so as to bear very much the 

 resemblance of a hollow tube, but, on careful examination, I was 

 ^ble to definitely resolve the apparent tube into two distinct 

 fibrils that could be separated from each other, and they were 

 not adherent to each other. 



" This all goes to shew the accuracy of your opinion that they 

 ^re the product of a spider, and each fibril the product of a 

 " spinneret," and these spinnerets so close together that the 

 issuing fibrils emerging in company continue to remain loosely 

 associated. The fact that they are even, continuous and struc- 

 tureless will also bear out the explanation. When examined with 

 Leitz's pantachromatics, the apparent tube is seen to be made 

 up of as many as 3, 4 and 5 of these fibrils, lying irregularly 

 beside one another. This can be readily made out with the ^th 

 objective, and with the ^^th immersion. I got the best 

 definition with the specimen stained with Erlich's triple stain ; 

 when thus made out the structure could be preceived in the 

 plain specimen. I have no doubt but any of the microscopic 

 €olor stains would ])e equall}^ efficient, and I only used the triple 



