GLAISHEK. ON SNOW CRYSTALS. 181 



32°, and the maximum during the day was only 32°. During 

 the early part of the morning there fell an immense number 

 of hexagonal plates of ice ; some of these were of simple 

 laminae, but others were marked very beautifully with inner 

 lines, and resembled in form and character many of those seen 

 by Scoresby in the Arctic seas. Towards noon, I perceived 

 several of more complicated figure, of which the hexagon of 

 the morning formed the nucleus. Figs. 1, 2, 3 (PI. XIII.) 

 are a few of several that I sketched at this time, and were 

 viewed through a lens of somewhat less power than a Cod- 

 dington. Fig. 1 exhibits an arrangement of prisms, set upon 

 rays of which two were longer than the remaining four. I 

 have only once since met with this arrangement. 



Fig. 3 was small and intensely glistening. Fig. 2 is com- 

 posed of two distinct figures, of which the second or inter- 

 mediate is the more simple ; I met with each singly more than 

 once during the morning. 



Towards the afternoon, this class of figures was exchanged 

 for others of an arboi^escent character, the six-sided laminae, 

 however, still continuing to fall, but more sparingly. At long 

 past midnight when I went out of dooi's, the crystals sparkled 

 in the snow, like mica in a piece of granite, and every cobweb, 

 every leaf, and knotty projection was laden with countless 

 myriads of crystals, which seemed to defy every effort to 

 individualize their character, or group them into classes. 



On February 13, 1 made further observations. Fig. 4 is 

 the only drawing I have yet completed of the several whicli 

 fell on this day. Its diameter was about 0' 05-inch. It 

 glistened brightly, and was highly crystalline. Its general 

 effect was similar to the drawing, and the clusters of prisms 

 round the outer boundary of the figure chiefly arrested the 

 attention ; the nucleus appeared a glistening speck. 



Februaiy 16 afforded me another opportunity of continuing 

 my observations. The minimum of the preceding night had 

 been 23°, at 9 o'clock the temperature in air was 25°, and the 

 maximum for the day was 33 • 8°. The arborescent form 

 chiefly prevailed. 



Figs. 5, 6, 7, are well illustrative of their class, of which 

 they are among the most simple types that could be selected. 

 In figs. 5 and 7, the nucleii, it will be perceived, are prisms 

 set around the centre, with great formality of arrangement ; 

 the spiculae are surmounted with leaves ; these, for the most 

 part, are serrated and slightly curved, and are set upon the 

 main radii, at the same angle (that is 60") with that of the 

 prisms, with which, in figs. 6, 7 they are intermingled. 



Fig. 6 is well illustrative of an intermediate stage of 



