84G 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 



1809. 



thought, or teach the young idea 

 how to shoot." The appearance 

 to which I wish to call the atten- 

 tion of your readers, is the various 

 figures whicli arc represented on 

 the glass where this crust is formed. 

 I have found sonae, whuse curiosity 

 was in a certain degree excited, 

 suppose that all was merely acci- 

 dental, or formed by what we of- 

 ten call chance ; but, on a closer 

 observation, this will not be found 

 to be the case ; — when strictly ex- 

 amined, every figure is as regularly 

 formed as if drawn by the hand of 

 a skilful artist, and the whole ex- 

 hibits, as it were, a beautiful deli- 

 neation of various marine or sea 

 plants. Sometimes there is an ex- 

 act representation of the plant 

 from which that species of ashes or 

 alkali, commonly called kelp, is 

 made ; on other parts of the glass 

 will be seen a perfect likeness of 

 some of the smaller vegetable pro- 

 ductions, which from a small root, 

 branch out into an astonishing 

 number of very fine fibres, joined 

 together in such curious workman- 

 ship, as far to excel any land pro- 

 duction (at least that I have ob- 

 ierved); indeed, no description 

 which 1 can give, without a draw- 

 ing, can convey any idea either of 

 the beauty or curiosity of these se- 

 veral icy arborifications. A few 

 of the larger kinds I have some- 

 times observed during a continued 

 frost ; but the more common ap- 

 pearances resemble the plant from 

 which the kelp is made, and the 

 smaller vegetable productions. I 

 wish to be informed by any of your 

 learned and philosophical readers, 

 what can be the natural cause 

 which produces this effect > Surely 

 we cannot ascribe it to mere acci- 

 dent ; for, if this were the case, 



there certainly would not be tlie 

 same regular uniformity. It may, 

 however, be necessary to observe, 

 that this uniform appearance will 

 sometimes be broken; but on 

 strict examination I have always 

 found it to proceed from some 

 such circumstances as a sudden 

 change in the temperature of the 

 air in the room by an increase of 

 company, or a larger fire, &c. ; 

 these will sometimes, in a certain 

 degree, melt the crust on the glass, 

 and if again suddenly frozen, the 

 regularity of the figures will appear 

 broken ; but where nature is left 

 open to operate without interrup- 

 tion, I have always found the result 

 the same. 



On the Lethargic Sleep incident to 

 certain Animals. [JVom the 

 Labours of the French National 

 Listilute.'] 



Of all the phenomena peculiar 

 to certain animals, there are few so 

 singular and so apparently contrary 

 to the laws of animal economy, as 

 the lethargic sleep to which several 

 viviparous quadrupeds are subject 

 during winter. The lethargy of 

 reptiles and of insects during the 

 same season, astonishes us much 

 less, because we are less disposed 

 to compare these beings with our- 

 selves ; and because in this state 

 they lose a smaller number of their 

 habitual properties. 



In the lethargic raammiferse, 

 not only does an absoliite state of 

 rest take place, a complete absti- 

 nence and an insensibility to such 

 a degree, that we may sometimes 

 burn or tear them in pieces without 

 their perceiving it, but their respi- 

 ration 



