182 Mr. Albert Miiller on the dispersal 
allude to the avalanche. Wherever strong inclines an- 
nually receive and discharge large masses of snow, there 
the dreaded spectacle may occur. Many thousands of 
feet overhead, the fleet step of the chamois, the rising 
of a bird, or a stone detached by the action of the frost, 
may loosen a small lump of snow, which rolls down and 
detaches others, their weight and rapidity of fall increase, 
whole fields of snow loosened by the wind called ‘ Féhn” 
follow, and down the mass rushes, mile after mile, carry- 
ing everything before and with it, snow and ice, rock, 
forest, chalet, meadow, man and brute! The body of air 
quickly displaced by this moving mass, rushes in front 
with the rapidity of lightning: woe betide the living 
creature within its reach; hurled along with thousands of 
fellow sufferers, it finds itself in a few minutes deposited 
miles away from its home; eggs, larve, pupz, all—the 
very bush on which they were surprised—the very sod 
which had harboured them, have joined the flight, and 
for miles down the valley the windows rattle, and the 
doors slam with the impetus they have received from the 
sudden shock of air. 
I mention this Alpine scene, to show the power of the 
atmosphere in dealing with organized nature. I feel 
certain that a great many so-called faunistic novelties, are 
the mere wrecks of hosts of insects distributed by cur- 
rents of air; the results of their carrying powers are 
often before us, but as it is the wholesome habit of man 
with ‘‘the bare back,” to seek shelter when the storm 
rages, no doubt they are mostly overlooked. However, 
just as the floating belts of Aphid, Syrphide, and Cocci- 
nellide around our coasts, as the rows of dead locusts on 
the banks of southern waters, as the white “ Uferaas,” 
the remains of Hphemeride lining continental rivers, in- 
dicate the destructive power of the watery element, so 
the atmosphere, too, has its great wreck chart spread 
out for those who will read it. It has this in common 
with the new charts of the mariner, that, excepting 
general outlines, it presents to the eye a white surface, 
which becomes gradually dotted over with little blotches, 
denoting the spots where living freights have suffered 
shipwreck. Wherever a certain altitude presents the 
needful conditions, or when winter clothes the land with 
snow, our map is spread; and I will now endeavour to 
point out some of the wrecks, which human observation 
has marked upon it. 
