EFFECTS OF FROST. 151 



had been during the night completely frozen up ; pro- 

 bably when first it settled on the previous evening, the 

 surface was in a fluid state, but a severe frost setting in, 

 the foot was soon encrusted with ice, and the bird fet- 

 tered to the spot. Again, in one of Captain Sir Edward 

 Parry's Northern Expeditions, the hand of a marine was 

 so dreadfully frost-bitten, that it was found necessary to 

 amputate some of the fingers ; previously to which, by 

 way of restoring circulation gradually to the parts which 

 had not been frost-bitten, the man's hand was dipped in 

 cold water, when to the great surprise of the medical 

 attendants, the water was seen to congeal round the 

 frozen joints for a considerable length of time after its 

 immersion. In another of his expeditions, it was observed 

 that the Ravens which were seen on the wing had a 

 white circle round their neck like a collar, which was as 

 last discovered to be a regular coating of frozen breath, 

 that had thus collected on the feathers, as it escaped 

 from the bird's mouth. But a still more curious instance, 

 and very similar to that of the Kites, occurred near 

 Windsor. One morning a person was employed in a 

 yard adjoining to his house, when his attention was 

 attracted by the growling of his cat, who seemed to be 

 in violent agitation, though confined to the spot on which 

 she stood. On examining the cause of her distress, it 

 appeared that she had been making her breakfast on 

 some offal scraps of meat, which had been thrown there; 

 and the place being wet, and the thermometer at the 

 time being fifteen degrees below freezing, her feet had 

 actually frozen to the ground, and a minute or two 

 elapsed before she could extricate herself from her 

 unpleasant situation. One other instance we have met 

 with, which is stated by the writer to be a positive fact, 

 and as in our view of the case it is by no means unlikely 

 to have occurred, we give it. A peasant, in the moun- 

 tainous part of the South of France, observing a great 

 number of wild Ducks settled on the ice of a small river 

 that was frozen over, fired into the midst of them, and was 



