158 Ott Oceanic Infusoria, Liviny and Fossil. 



that the writer of the Second Book of Maccabees alluded to some- 

 thing of this kind : 



" Through all the city, for the space of forty days, there were 

 seen horsemen running in the air in clotlis of gold, and armed with 

 lances like a band of soldiers, and troops of horsemen in array, en- 

 countering and running against one another, with shaking of shields 

 and multitudes of pikes, and drav\ing of swords, and casting of darts, 

 and golden ornaments and harness." — Book ii., c. 5. 



Although there appeared nothing like horsemen in the aurora I 

 am describing, it was hai'dly possible to resist the idea of a very for- 

 mal and well regulated march of soldiers, in single rank, being 

 strikingly imitated in this very extraordinai-y display of the meteor, 

 which concluded with a long broad streak of yellowish-white light, 

 the upper extremity of which reached nearly to the Pleiades, and the 

 lower almost to the horizon, forming a brilliant tail, as it were, to 

 that group of stars ; this association of the Seven Stars, and sloping 

 streak of auroral light, was no inapt representation of the head and 

 tail of a comet, only that the stellar group was too dull to represent 

 the prominent part alluded to, being completely thrown into the shade 

 by the refulgence of the aui-oral light. 



This streak of light continued for some minutes in nearly the 

 same position, and gradually faded away in the same part of the 

 heavens as tiiat in which it was formed. It began in the same man- 

 ner as the streak of light previously described ; that is, on the 

 arrival of the first beams of the gioup, and gradually waxed in 

 splendour in proportion to the number accumulated at this terminal 

 of the line, until the arrival of the last beam ; and after shining in 

 full glory for a short time, it gradually waned, until finally lost 

 amongst the stars. With this grand spectacle the most interesting 

 part of the aurora terminated ; but a glow of light illuminated a 

 great portion of the northern heavens the remainder of the night, 

 and until three or four o'clock next morning. The wind was strong 

 from the west, and piercing cold during the whole night. 

 ( To be concluded in next Number.) 



On Oceanic Infusoria, Living and Fossil. 



"Theimprovements effected of late years in the microscope," says Dr 

 Harvey, in his interesting volume just published,* " may well be said 

 to haveopened tous a material worldofwhoseexistenceweshould other- 

 wise be wholly ignorant. The number of species of animals and plants 



* The Seaside Took ; by W. H. Har\ey, M.D., Member of the Royal Irish 

 Academy. Van Voorst, London, 1849. 



