Meteor.— Shower of Snails. | 457 
been altered in their nature, but simply vitrified at their sur- 
faces. 
10. Many of the irregular forms which these fragments pre- 
sent may be referred to determined geometric forms. 
11. These latter forms are the consequence of the rapid ac- 
tion of a violent fire, according to a law of the movement of heat 
in solid bodies, discovered by M. Emer.— Quarterly Journal, 
METEOR. \! 
A most beautiful meteorological phenomenon was witnessed at 
Brighton late on Sunday night, the 2d of December. It was a 
swift shooting luminous ball, which continued perfect a few se- 
conds, and then assuming the appearance of a fine large sky rocket, 
became gradually dissolved amidst a wide-spreading shower of 
splendid sparkling fire. 
_ THE SHOWER OF SNAILS. 
To Dr. Tilloch. fa 
Bristol, Nov. 19, 1821. 
Sirn,—There appeared two extracts from the Bristol and 
Gloucester Newspapers in your October Number, respecting a 
shower of snails said to have fallen at Tockington near Bristol. 
Having heard such a report at the time, I was anxious to ex- 
amine into the truth of it, particularly as it was represented to 
have had some sort of connexion with the curious azure-blue 
appearance of the sun: accordingly I went over to Tockington 
with two friends, expecting to find an immense quantity of peri- 
winkles deposited there by a water spout—two or three inches 
deep at least— as it was stated that the farmers had carried them 
away by waggon loads to manure their land with. You may 
imagine our astonishment, when upon asking our guide how much 
further we had to go, he told us we were on the spot. Upon an 
attentive examination, I could perceive there were many small 
snails there; but [ do not believe that I could in any part of the 
field have covered more than a dozen with one of my hands; 
almost as many appeared in a field on the opposite side of the 
turnpike road, Jut not one upon the road itself. 1 inquired 
whether many had been seen there in former years, and heard 
that almost as many were there last year. I shall not trouble 
you with the answers to every question asked, but it turned out 
very similar to the well known story of the three black crows, 
A man had walked over the field in the morning, and observed 
nothing particular ; but on returning in the evening was struck 
(not with a snail) but with the appearance of a great number of 
snails, and jocosely observed ‘* a body would think it had rained 
snails.” This being repeated with a little addition to an old 
Vol, 58, No, 284, Dec, 1821, 3M granny 
